Adaptation and psychometric properties of the Coping Flexibility Scale-Revised in Chinese parents of children with cancer.

BACKGROUND

A psychometrically suitable instrument is a prerequisite to explore the role of coping flexibility in vulnerable populations, such as parents of children with cancer. The Coping Flexibility Scale-Revised (CFS-R) is a 12-item measure of coping flexibility. Although increasingly used in research, the instrument's use is limited to just Japanese and English languages.

METHODS

The Chinese Version of Coping Flexibility Scale-Revised (C-CFS-R) was obtained through translation and cross-cultural adaptation. A sample of 318 Chinese parents of children with cancer, recruited from four tertiary hospitals via convenience sampling, completed the C-CFS-R and validated measures of cognitive flexibility (for convergent validity) and social desirability (for discriminant validity). Item analyses, confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficients were used to determine item quality, construct validity, convergent and discriminant validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability, respectively.

RESULTS

Item analyses provided evidence of good item quality. Both the first- and second-order three-factor models showed acceptable fit indices. The C-CFS-R showed a small to medium correlation with cognitive flexibility, and its correlation with social desirability was not statistically significant, except abandonment with a small effect size. The scale demonstrated good internal consistency and good test-retest reliability.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides preliminary evidence for the psychometric properties of a coping flexibility scale under severe adversity in the Chinese context. Practically, the C-CFS-R can be used to identify mothers of children with cancer in the initial diagnosis and treatment phase who demonstrate low coping flexibility, enabling early and targeted psychosocial support.