Description

The 38-item Greek version of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ-38), known as the Scale for Coping Strategies in Stressful Situations, was adapted by Karademas (1998). It is based on Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional theory of stress and coping, according to which stress emerges from the dynamic interaction between individuals and the demands of their environment.

The questionnaire assesses the cognitive, emotional, and behavioural efforts individuals use to manage a particular stressful situation. It does not necessarily measure a stable personality trait because coping strategies may vary according to the nature of the stressor and the individual’s perceived ability to control it.

Purpose

The WCQ-38 is designed to identify the strategies individuals use when facing internal or external demands that they perceive as challenging, stressful, or exceeding their available resources.

The instrument can be used to investigate relationships between coping strategies and variables such as perceived stress, psychological well-being, quality of life, burnout, social support, and adjustment to health-related difficulties.

Structure

The Greek version comprises 38 items covering different ways of coping.

Positive Approach includes positive reappraisal and organized problem-solving strategies. Seeking Social Support concerns obtaining practical assistance, advice, information, or emotional support from others. Wishful Thinking and Daydreaming reflects expectations that the situation will improve without direct personal intervention and may include seeking divine assistance. Avoidance and Escape includes reactions such as resignation, withdrawal, and denial. Assertive Problem Solving refers to more active and direct attempts to change the stressful situation.

The individual dimensions should be calculated using the official scoring key for the Greek adaptation. The arbitrary calculation of a single overall score is not recommended.

Administration and Scoring

Before completing the questionnaire, respondents are asked to focus on a specific stressful experience. They then indicate the extent to which they used each coping strategy.

Responses are recorded on a four-point Likert-type scale:

0 = Does not apply or was not used
1 = Used to a small extent
2 = Used quite a bit
3 = Used to a great extent

The score for each coping strategy is calculated by summing or averaging the relevant item scores. Higher scores indicate more frequent or intensive use of that strategy, but they do not necessarily reflect more effective coping.

The usefulness of a coping strategy depends on the context. Problem solving may be particularly appropriate when a situation is controllable, whereas emotional regulation or temporary distancing may be protective when the individual has limited control over the stressor.

Statistical Analysis

Statistical analysis should be performed separately for each coping strategy or subscale. Means, standard deviations, and score distributions may be calculated, while comparisons can be conducted across different groups or assessment points.

Relationships between coping strategies and other psychological variables may be examined through correlation, regression, or multivariate analyses. Longitudinal designs may be used to assess changes in coping following an intervention or during the development of a stressful experience.

Reliability and Validity

In the Greek adaptation, internal-consistency coefficients for the individual dimensions ranged approximately from 0.60 to 0.79. These values indicate moderate to satisfactory internal consistency, depending on the subscale.

Reliability should not be confused with validity. Construct validity requires separate examination through factor analysis and associations with theoretically related variables. Because coping strategies are situation-dependent, test–retest reliability coefficients should be interpreted cautiously.

Applications and Limitations

The WCQ-38 may be used in clinical, educational, occupational, and social research. It is suitable for studying coping with occupational stress, chronic illness, family difficulties, academic demands, and other stressful experiences.

As a self-report instrument, the questionnaire may be affected by recall ability, social desirability, and the respondent’s interpretation of the stressful situation. Furthermore, strategies should not automatically be classified as “adaptive” or “maladaptive” without considering the context, controllability of the stressor, and consequences of their use.

References

Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R. S. (1985). If it changes it must be a process: Study of emotion and coping during three stages of a college examination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48(1), 150–170.

Folkman, S., Lazarus, R. S., Dunkel-Schetter, C., DeLongis, A., & Gruen, R. J. (1986). Dynamics of a stressful encounter: Cognitive appraisal, coping, and encounter outcomes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50(5), 992–1003.

Karademas, E. C. (1998). The adaptation of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire in the Greek language. Psychology: The Journal of the Hellenic Psychological Society, 5(3), 260–273.

Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.

Lazarus, R. S. (1999). Stress and emotion: A new synthesis. Springer.