An adaptation of the kidcope: The kidcope-parent (kidcope-p) – a parent-report measure of child coping strategies.

ObjectiveUnderstanding how children cope is an important factor in investigating the impact of adversity on child development. With children increasingly experiencing adverse situations – such as the COVID-19 pandemic – having methods of assessing coping strategies is an essential step in supporting self-regulation development. Parent report is a common method of measuring child outcomes, as parents observe children across a range of settings. Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the KidCOPE-Parent form – an adaptation of the original KidCOPE self-report.MethodsA sample of 253 children, aged 6–7 years old, across 19 government and catholic schools in Melbourne, Victoria.ResultsFindings indicate that a two-factor model best fits the data, with the KidCOPE-P demonstrating moderately acceptable reliability and validity. There were some differences in mean scores reported between males and females for items relating to problem-solving, social support, and resignation coping strategies.ConclusionOverall, the KidCOPE-P is moderately suitable for assessing children’s coping strategies, as observed by a parent. Future research is needed to replicate these findings and continue to explore the KidCOPE-P’s reliability as a parent-report measure of child coping strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)