Flexibility in Coping with Stress Questionnaire: structure and psychometric properties

BACKGROUND: Flexibility in coping relies on applying a coping strategy that is appropriate to the circumstances. Individuals who are flexible in coping exhibit sensitivity to subtle signals sent by the environment. Therefore, they are able to adjust their behaviour accordingly and function in a more adaptive manner. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: The study included N = 1535 participants. The following methods were used: the Flexibility in Coping with Stress Questionnaire (FCSQ-14) and the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI). RESULTS: The Flexibility in Coping with Stress Questionnaire measures flexibility as a feature of the process of coping with which an individual applies coping strategies. The Flexibility in Coping with Stress Questionnaire is an accurate and reliable method of measuring coping flexibility and three of its subscales: the Repertoire of coping strategies, the Changeability of their use, and Reflexivity. CONCLUSIONS: The Flexibility in Coping with Stress Questionnaire examines three subscales of flexibility, namely, Repertoire of coping strategies, Changeability, and Reflexivity. This measurement is accurate and reliable. The questionnaire is applied to the study of persons exposed to severe or chronic stress at work, when we want to assess the individual's ability to change their functioning in a stressful situation. It can be used to examine healthy and somatically ill people, in the area of research and clinical diagnosis.