Trauma Coping Self-Efficacy: A context-specific self-efficacy measure for traumatic stress

Charles C Benight , Kotaro Shoji , Lori E James , Edward E Waldrep , Douglas L Delahanty , Roman Cieślak

Abstract

Objective: The psychometric properties of a Trauma Coping Self-Efficacy (CSE-T) scale that assesses general trauma-related coping self-efficacy perceptions were assessed. Method: Measurement equivalence was assessed using several different samples: hospitalized trauma patients (n1 74, n2 69, n3 60), 3 samples of disaster survivors (n1 273, n2 227, n3 138), and trauma-exposed college students (N 242). This is the first multisample evaluation of the psychometric properties for a general trauma-related CSE measure. Results: Results showed that a brief and parsimonious 9-item version of the CSE performed well across the samples with a robust factor structure; factor structure and factor loadings were similar across study samples. Discussion: The 9-item scale CSE-T demonstrated measurement equivalence across samples indicating that the underlying concept of general posttraumatic CSE is organized in a similar manner in the different trauma-exposed groups. These results offer strong support for cross-event construct validity of the CSE-T scale. Associations of the CSE-T with important expected covariates showed significant evidence for convergent validity. Finally, discriminant validity was also supported. Replication of the factor structure, internal reliability, and other evidence for construct validity is a critical next step for future research.