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. 2022 Oct;26(10):2050-2059.
doi: 10.1007/s10995-022-03476-5. Epub 2022 Aug 8.

The validation of the brief COPE in a belgian perinatal population

Yannic van Gils  1   2 , Roxanne Bleijenbergh  3   4 , Charlotte Brosens  3   4 , Laura Van den Branden  3   4 , Sophie Rimaux  3 , Yvonne J Kuipers  3   4   5
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The validation of the brief COPE in a belgian perinatal population

Yannic van Gils et al. Matern Child Health J. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

Introduction: The Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief-COPE) measures individuals' coping strategies. There is limited evidence on the psychometric properties of this measure in a perinatal population. The aim of this study is to explore the psychometric properties of the Brief COPE in pregnant and postpartum women.

Methods: The Dutch/Flemish version of the Brief-COPE was administrated in a sample of 754 antenatal (n = 432) and postpartum (n = 322) women living in Belgium. Exploratory factor analyses assessed the factor structure of the Brief-COPE and its convergent validity in an antenatal and postpartum sample. Cronbach's alpha was calculated for internal consistency reliability of the Brief-COPE items.

Results: Exploratory factor analysis showed a five-factor antenatal model, presented by the subscales: (1) Active coping (α = 0.86), (2) Self-blame and Disengagement (α = 0.70), (3) Alcohol use (α = 0.96), (4) Humour (α = 0.79), and (5) Spirituality (α = 0.81). For the postpartum sample, a three-factor model emerged, presented by the subscales: (1) Active coping (α = 0.85), (2) Self-blame (α = 0.85) and (3) Spirituality (α = 0.74).

Conclusions: We observed differences and similarities in coping strategies between antenatal and postpartum women - information to be of merit for clinical practice and research. The Brief-COPE is a promising tool for the use of identifying women's coping strategies during pregnancy and the postpartum period, specifically for women in a similar cultural context as the women in this study, mainly in terms of antenatal alcohol use.

Keywords: Antenatal; Coping; Factor analysis; Perinatal; Postpartum.

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