Measuring Coping Among Family Members with Substance-Misusing Relatives: Testing Competing Factor Structures of the Coping Questionnaire (CQ) in England and Italy

Zsolt Horváth, Jim Orford, Richard Velleman, Róbert Urbán

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Abstract

Background: The Coping Questionnaire measures affected family members’ responses to their relatives’ substance misuse related problems. The Coping Questionnaire examines three main coping strategies: engaged, tolerant-inactive, and withdrawal coping. Objectives: The aim of the current study was to compare competing conceptual measurement models across two countries, including one-factor, three-factor, and higher order factor models. Methods: Secondary analysis of data from five previous studies was conducted. Samples of affected family members from England (N = 323) and Italy (N = 165) were aggregated into two country specific groups. Series of confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test the degree of model fit and the effects of socio-demographic variables on the coping factors. Results: A bifactor model fitted the data most closely relative to the one- and three-factor models. High rates of common variance (60–65%) were attributable to the general coping factor, while a high proportion of the variance related to the withdrawal coping subscale score was independent (66–89%) of the general coping factor. Family members’ country, age, gender, the type of relationship and the main problematic substance had significant effects on the coping factors. Conclusions: A bifactor model related to coping behaviors is consistent with the theoretical assumptions of the general coping literature. The concept of a general coping factor also fits the theoretical assumptions of the stress-strain-coping-support model, with family members showing a general tendency to cope with the harmful circumstances which arise due to substance misuse.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)469-480
Number of pages12
JournalSubstance Use and Misuse
Volume55
Issue number3
Early online date15 Nov 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 3 Feb 2020

Funding

The present study reanalyzed and summarized data from previous studies (Arcidiacono et al., 2010 ; Copello et al., 2009 ; Orford et al., 1998 ; The UKATT Research Team, 2001 ; Velleman et al., 2008 ). Original studies were funded by the West Midlands Regional Health Authority and the Alcohol Education and Research Council, the Avon and Wiltshire Regional Health Authorities (Copello et al., 2009 ); the Medical Research Council, National Health Service Executive in England, and Wales Office for Research and Development in Health and Social Care (The UKATT Research Team, 2001 ), the ‘‘National Fund for the Fight against Drugs’’, Ministry of Health, Prevention and Communication Department, Government of Italy (Velleman et al., 2008 ).

Keywords

  • Affected family members
  • bifactor model
  • confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)
  • stress-strain-coping-support model
  • substance misuse

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Health(social science)
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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