Coping Online With Racism Scale (CORS)

Abstract

The Coping Online With Racism Scale (CORS), developed by Keum and Volpe (2023), is a specialized psychological inventory designed to quantitatively measure the coping mechanisms individuals utilize when exposed to online racism. The scale specifically focuses on proactive strategies such as seeking social support and engaging with counterspaces. Its creation was integral to a larger study examining how antiracism advocacy and online coping function as moderators in the relationship between experiences of online racism and subsequent psychological distress.

The theoretical foundation of the CORS is rooted in qualitative themes of coping and antiracism advocacy identified by Keum (2017), and it is guided by relevant domains from Carver’s Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief COPE) inventory (Carver, 1997). These domains include Active Coping, Planning, Emotional Support, Instrumental Support, and Venting. The measure was administered electronically to a sample of racially and ethnically diverse adults, primarily located in the United States, providing initial data on its factor structure and reliability.

Keywords

Coping, Online Racism, Social Support, Active Coping, Planning, Emotional Support, Instrumental Support, Venting of Emotions, Coping Behavior, Help Seeking Behavior, Racism, Online Social Networks, Stress and Coping Measures, Online Behavior, Anger Expression.

Authors

Keum, Brian TaeHyuk, Volpe, Vanessa.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the CORS is to provide a standardized, psychometrically sound method for assessing the range of coping mechanisms individuals employ following exposure to discriminatory and racist incidents encountered in online environments.

The scale is crucial for researchers seeking to understand the protective factors that mitigate the adverse mental health outcomes associated with digital racial stress, allowing for targeted interventions that promote effective online coping strategies, such as utilizing supportive online counterspaces.

Construct

The CORS measures Online Coping Behavior in response to racism. This construct is operationalized through mechanisms derived largely from the Brief COPE framework, adapted specifically for the digital context. The measure captures both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies.

The core domains assessed by the 10-item inventory include:

• Active Coping: Taking direct action to manage the stressor.
• Planning: Thinking about how to deal with the stressor.
• Emotional Support: Seeking sympathy or understanding from others.
• Instrumental Support: Seeking advice, assistance, or information.
• Venting of Emotions: Expressing negative feelings.
• Social Support and Counterspaces: Seeking community and refuge online.

Validity

Specific data pertaining to established criterion or discriminant validity were not explicitly provided in the initial publication.

However, evidence supporting construct validity is demonstrated through the robust results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), which validates the hypothesized factor structure and the internal consistency of the items, suggesting the scale measures the intended psychological construct.

Reliability

The CORS demonstrated excellent internal consistency, a critical measure of reliability, within the initial sample population.

The calculated Cronbach’s α coefficient for the scale was reported at .94, indicating that the scale items are highly interrelated and reliably measure the underlying latent construct of online coping with racism.

Factor Analysis

The scale’s structure was rigorously examined using advanced statistical modeling. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed to test the fit of the proposed measurement model to the empirical data.

The CFA indicated a good initial fit for the data, evidenced by favorable fit indices: CFI = .96, RMSEA = .076 (with a 90% confidence interval of [.060, .092]), and SRMR = .036. Furthermore, all individual items exhibited significant factor loadings (p < .001), ranging from .65 to .86, confirming that each item contributes meaningfully to its respective factor. The overall measurement model also showed an adequate fit to the data: χ² = 1601.71, df = 758, p ≤ .001, CFI = .91, RMSEA = .052 [.049, .056], and SRMR = .079. Additional indices included an AIC value of 42219.05 and a BIC value of 42339.38.

Instrument

Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire

Format: The CORS consists of 10 items. Participants respond using a 5-point Likert-type scale, ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (very often), describing their efforts to deal with online racism. The administration method is electronic.

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human; Male; Female; Genderfluid; Transmasculine; Agender Individuals.

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older)

Population Details: Respondents are adults located in the United States, representing racially/ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Test Methodology: Test Reliability; Internal Consistency; Factor Analysis; Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

Keywords

Coping, Online Racism, Social Support, Active Coping, Planning, Emotional Support, Instrumental Support, Venting of Emotions.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier:

• Keum, Brian TaeHyuk: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6018-2094
• Volpe, Vanessa: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0679-1160

Affiliation Email addresses:

• Keum, Brian TaeHyuk: Boston College Department of Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology ([email protected])
• Volpe, Vanessa: North Carolina State University Department of Psychology

Correspondence Address:

• Keum, Brian TaeHyuk: Boston College, Department of Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Campion Hall, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States, 02467, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: The corresponding author must be contacted for permissions regarding use of the scale.

Fee: There is no associated fee for the use of this instrument as reported by the authors.

Test Year: 2023

Reference’s

Keum, B. T., & Volpe, V. (2023). Resisting and countering online racial hate: Antiracism advocacy and coping online with racism as moderators of distress associated with online racism. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 70(5), 498–509. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000674

Items of the Coping Online With Racism Scale (CORS)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The measure includes 10 items. The domains covered by these items are: Active Coping, Planning, Emotional Support, Instrumental Support, and Venting of Emotions. No data is Available regarding the specific wording of the items.