Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experience (A-COPE)

Abstract

The Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experience (A-COPE) is a widely utilized psychological scale designed to assess the specific coping behaviors and strategies employed by adolescents when they encounter difficulties, stress, or tension. Developed by Patterson and McCubbin (1987), the A-COPE consists of 54 items organized into twelve distinct dimensions of coping. This instrument provides valuable empirical data by differentiating between various adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms, thereby facilitating crucial insights for clinical assessment, intervention planning, and developmental research concerning how young people manage stress.

Keywords

A-COPE, coping strategies, adolescent development, stress management, self-reliance, social support, family problems, psychological measurement, resilience.

Authors

J. M. Patterson, H. I. McCubbin

Purpose

The primary purpose of the A-COPE is to provide a standardized, comprehensive measure of the behavioral and cognitive responses adolescents use to navigate stressful life events and daily hassles. It is designed to capture the breadth of an adolescent’s coping repertoire, assessing the frequency with which they engage in specific actions when feeling tense or facing difficulties.

The scale serves clinical and research applications by allowing practitioners to identify specific areas of strength (e.g., developing optimism, seeking support) and potential vulnerability (e.g., substance use, avoidance) in an individual’s approach to stress. This detailed mapping of coping behaviors is essential for tailoring effective family and individual intervention programs aimed at enhancing adaptive stress management skills.

Construct

The A-COPE measures the construct of Adolescent Coping Orientation, which is conceptualized as the patterned behavioral and psychological efforts made by adolescents to manage demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding their personal resources. The instrument views coping as a multi-dimensional process, recognizing that adolescents utilize a wide range of strategies that often fall into distinct, measurable categories.

The 54 items cover a broad spectrum of responses, including internal cognitive strategies (e.g., self-improvement, optimism), direct communication and negotiation with family members, seeking external support (friends, professionals, spiritual), and engaging in emotional or behavioral outlets (e.g., physical activity, emotional venting, or avoidance behaviors like substance use).

Validity

The A-COPE has demonstrated strong construct validity, consistently validating its theoretical framework across numerous studies involving diverse adolescent populations. The scale’s development was rooted in extensive research on adolescent stress response, ensuring that the items are ecologically valid and reflective of real-world coping behaviors experienced by young people.

Furthermore, the A-COPE has shown evidence of criterion validity by successfully correlating its subscale scores with established measures of psychological adjustment, family functioning, and indicators of mental health problems. Its ability to distinguish between adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies enhances its utility as a predictive tool in both developmental and clinical psychology.

Reliability

The reliability of the A-COPE is generally considered good, particularly regarding its internal consistency across its twelve subscales. Research studies utilizing the scale have consistently reported acceptable to high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the distinct coping dimensions, indicating that the items within each factor reliably cohere to measure the intended underlying construct.

The instrument also exhibits adequate test-retest reliability, suggesting that the coping orientations measured are relatively stable behavioral patterns over short periods of time within the adolescent population. This stability makes the A-COPE a reliable tool for longitudinal studies tracking changes in coping effectiveness over time or following therapeutic intervention.

Factor Analysis

The A-COPE is structured based on empirical evidence derived from factor analysis, which resulted in the identification of 12 primary dimensions of coping. These factors represent distinct clusters of related coping behaviors that adolescents employ when facing stress. The use of these subscales allows for a nuanced assessment that goes beyond a single global coping score.

The 12 factors or subscales measured by the A-COPE include:

• Ventilating Feelings
• Seeking Diversions
• Developing Self-Reliance and Optimism
• Developing Social Support
• Solving Family Problems
• Avoiding Family Problems
• Seeking Spiritual Support
• Investing in Close Friends
• Seeking Professional Support
• Engaging in Demanding Activities
• Being Humorous
• Relaxing

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale; Stress and Coping Inventory

Format: 54 items scored on a 5-point Likert scale.

Language Available: Primarily English; translations have been developed and validated for various international research contexts.

Population Group: Clinical and non-clinical adolescents and young adults.

Age Group: Typically mid-adolescence (generally 12 to 18 years).

Population Details: Has been widely used across diverse populations, including studies focused on family stress, chronic illness, academic pressure, and general psychological adjustment in school settings.

Test Methodology: Respondents are asked to rate how often they engage in each specific behavior when they face difficulties or feel tense, using a 5-point frequency scale. The response options are: 1 = Never, 2 = Hardly ever, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Often, 5 = Most of the time. Critical items (7, 8, 19, 24, 26, 28, 42, 46, and 49) are reverse-scored to account for potentially maladaptive or avoidant behaviors.

Keywords

psychological assessment, stress response, resiliency, family dynamics, coping mechanisms, self-report measures, adolescent mental health, problem solving, coping behaviors.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experience (A-COPE) was initially conceptualized and published in 1987 by Patterson and McCubbin. Subsequent versions and uses are documented in works such as Fischer and Corcoran’s sourcebook (2007).

Information regarding current usage fees, licensing permissions, and commercial use should be directed to the copyright holders, typically the authors or their associated institutions. The instrument is available for research purposes, and the original PDF can be downloaded here: https://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/docs/15973-Adolescent_Coping_Orientation_for.pdf

Reference’s

• Patterson, J. M., McCubbin, H. I. (1987). Adolescent coping style and behaviors: conceptualization and measurement. Journal of Adolescence, 10(2), 163-186.
• Patterson, J. M., McCubbin, H. I. (1987). Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experience (A-COPE). In Fischer, Joel., Corcoran, Kevin J. (2007). Measures for Clinical Practice and research: A sourcebook. (4th ed.). NY. Oxford University Pr. Vol. 1, Page (s): 423-426.
• Fischer, Joel., Corcoran, Kevin J. (2007). Measures for Clinical Practice and research: A sourcebook. (4th ed.). NY. Oxford University Pr. Vol. 1, Page (s): 423-426.
• Copeland, E.P., Hess, R.S. (1995). Differences in young adolescents’ coping strategies based on gender and ethnicity. Journal of Early Adolescence, 15, 203-219.
• Vliem, Sally J. (2009). Adolescent Coping and Family Functioning in the Family of a Child with Autism. University of Michigan, Doctoral dissertation.

Items of the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experience (A-COPE)

When you face difficulties or feel tense‚ how often do you …

1. Go along with parent’s requests and rules
2. Read
3. Try to be funny and make light of it all
4. Apologize to people
5. Listen to music-stereo‚ radio
6. Talk to a teacher or counselor at school about what bothers you
7. Eat food
8. Try to stay away from home as much as possible
9. Use drugs prescribed by doctor
10. Get more involved in activities in school
11. Go shopping‚ buy things you like
12. Try to reason with parents and talk things out‚ compromise
13. Try to improve yourself (get body in shape‚ get better grades‚ etc.)
14. Cry
15. Try to think of the good things in your life
16. Be with a boyfriend or girlfriend
17. Ride around in the car
18. Say nice things to others
19. Get angry and yell at people
20. Joke and keep a sense of humor
21. Talk to a minister/priest/rabbi
22. Let off steam by complaining to family members
23. Go to church
24. Use drugs (not necessarily prescribed by a doctor)
25. Organize your life and what you have to do
26. Swear
27. Work hard on school work or school projects
28. Blame others for what’s going on
29. Be close with someone you care about
30. Try to help other people solve their problems
31. Talk to your mother about what bothers you
32. Try‚ on your own‚ to figure out how to deal with your problems or tension
33. Work on a hobby you have (sewing‚ biking‚ etc.)
34. Get professional counseling (not a school teacher or school counselor)
35. Try to keep up friendships or make new friends
36. Tell yourself the problem(s) is not important
37. Go to a movie
38. Daydream about how you would like things to be
39. Talk to a brother or sister about how you feel
40. Get a job or work harder at one
41. Do things with your family
42. Smoke
43. Watch T. V.
44. Pray
45. Try to see the good things in a difficult situation
46. Drink beer‚ wine‚ liquor
47. Try to make your own decisions
48. Sleep
49. Say mean things to people‚ be sarcastic
50. Talk to your father about what bothers you
51. Let off steam by complaining to your friends
52. Talk to a friend about how you feel
53. Play video games (Space Invaders‚ Pac-Man)‚ pool‚ pinball‚ etc.
54. Do a strenuous physical activity (jogging‚ biking‚ etc.)