Dimensional analysis of the coping strategy indicator in a sample of elderly veterans with acquired limb amputations

The Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI), developed by Amirkhan (1990), is intended as a ‘widely applicable’ self-report measure of situational coping encompassing the strategies of avoidance, problem solving and seeking social support. Nonetheless, the instrument’s initial development phase was exclusively premised on Californian samples, prompting Parker and Endler (1992) to highlight the need for cross-validation with other populations. The aim of this study was to examine the factor structure of the Coping Strategy Indicator in a sample of 618 British individuals with a chronic health challenge, namely amputation of a limb(s). Confirmatory factor analyses were used to compare four different models of the CSI structure (one-factor, three-orthogonal factors, three-oblique factors and four-oblique factors). The results indicate that the oblique-three-factor model, coherent with the subscales derived in the original sample (Amirkhan, 1990) provided adequate fit to the data. An oblique four-factor model described by Ager and MacLachlan (1998) provided the best fit. Further research is necessary in terms of developing and scoring the instrument as a four-dimensional tool. These results provide further support for the suggestion that the scale is generalizable across population, cultural, and situational variation.