Coping Scale for Difficult Socio-academic Situations: Short Version

Abstract

The present study aims to test a short version and carry out a confirmatory analysis of the Coping Scale for Difficult Socio-academic Situations (Escala de Enfrentamento para Situações Socioacadêmicas Difíceis [EESSAD]). The sample consisted of 601 university students from different periods and programs, aged between 18 and 57 years (M = 26.2 years, SD = 7.2), most of them female (66.1%). All participants responded to the EESSAD on the spot. For confirmatory factor analysis, we used the maximum likelihood (ML) estimation method. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a three-dimensional structure (ten items):focus on powerful others, focus on the problem, and focus on emotion. The discussion addresses the relevance of a reduced scale and discusses the structure in view of its contribution to facing the different obstacles of academic life. Future studies may relate coping to other phenomena in the university context and to sociodemographic data.