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The stability of the Ways of Coping (Revised) Questionnaire over time in parents of children with Down's syndrome: a research note

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

C. Hatton ,
C. Knussen ,
P. Sloper  and
S. Turner
C. Hatton*
Affiliation:
Hester Adrian Research Centre and CRC Education and Child Studies Research Group, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Manchester; Department of Psychology, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow
C. Knussen
Affiliation:
Hester Adrian Research Centre and CRC Education and Child Studies Research Group, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Manchester; Department of Psychology, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow
P. Sloper
Affiliation:
Hester Adrian Research Centre and CRC Education and Child Studies Research Group, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Manchester; Department of Psychology, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow
S. Turner
Affiliation:
Hester Adrian Research Centre and CRC Education and Child Studies Research Group, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Manchester; Department of Psychology, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow
*
1Address for correspondence: Mr Christopher Hatton, Hester Adrian Research Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL.
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Synopsis

The stability of the Ways of Coping (Revised) Questionnaire over time was assessed by comparing the scores of 68 mothers and 53 fathers of school-aged children with Down's syndrome over a 3-year time interval on the five coping strategy subscales described by Knussen et al. (1992). For this analysis, mothers' and fathers' scores were analysed separately. It was shown by t tests that mothers' and fathers' scores on the coping strategy subscales had not significantly changed over the three-year period. Time 1 and Time 2 scores on all of the coping subscales were strongly positively associated, with the exception of fathers' scores on the Stoicism subscale. Test–retest reliability was adequate for all subscales except mothers' scores on the Passive Acceptance subscale and fathers' scores on the Stoicism subscale. These results, by demonstrating the stability of the Ways of Coping (Revised) Questionnaire over a 3-year time period, further illustrate the utility of this instrument for investigating coping in families with special problems.

Type
Brief Communication
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , March 1995 , pp. 419 - 422
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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