{"id":3171,"date":"2026-03-30T12:13:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T10:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/?page_id=3171"},"modified":"2026-03-31T09:33:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T07:33:18","slug":"cope-8","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/en\/cope-8\/","title":{"rendered":"COPE 6"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The COPE 6, developed by Lauer et al. (2026), encompasses <strong>functional<\/strong> and <strong>dysfunctional<\/strong> <strong>coping strategies<\/strong>, drawing on Frydenberg\u2019s (2014) definition. Functional coping strategies involve strategies directly addressing the challenges of the situation, such as those that arise in the context of home care. Dysfunctional coping strategies, on the other hand, involve a response to the situation that is \u201cunfavorable\u201d in the long term. The COPE 6 comprises only six items and is therefore time-efficient to administer.<\/p>\n<p>The COPE 6 can be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/en\/download\/\">downloaded<\/a> in the following languages: German, English.<\/p>\n<div class=\"rrze-elements accordion style_default\" id=\"accordion-0\">\n<div class=\"accordion-group med\">\n<h2 class=\"accordion-heading\"><button class=\"accordion-toggle\" data-toggle=\"collapse\"  href=\"#collapse_0\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse_0\" id=\"collapse_button_0\"> Benefits of Using the Scale <\/button><\/h2>\n<div id=\"collapse_0\" class=\"accordion-body\" aria-labelledby=\"collapse_button_0\">\n<div class=\"accordion-inner clearfix\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Informal Caregivers may perceive caring for a loved one as a burden, but they may also see personal benefits in their role. Scales have been developed to measure both aspects of home care (see \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/en\/subjektive-pflegebelastung\/\">Burden Scale for Family Caregivers<\/a>\u201d and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/en\/benefitsskala-bbcs\/\">Benefits of Being a Caregiver Scale<\/a>\u201d). Informal care ensures the care of a person in need at home. Yet it often presents a major challenge requiring the use of coping strategies. Therefore understanding which coping strategies are employed in individual cases is often crucial for the course of home care. The COPE 6 was developed for this purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rrze-elements accordion style_default\" id=\"accordion-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion-group med\">\n<h2 class=\"accordion-heading\"><button class=\"accordion-toggle\" data-toggle=\"collapse\"  href=\"#collapse_1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse_1\" id=\"collapse_button_1\"> Who is the COPE 6 for? <\/button><\/h2>\n<div id=\"collapse_1\" class=\"accordion-body\" aria-labelledby=\"collapse_button_1\">\n<div class=\"accordion-inner clearfix\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">The COPE 6 is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess <strong>functional<\/strong> and <strong>dysfunctional<\/strong> <strong>coping<\/strong> <strong>strategies<\/strong>. The instrument was validated in a sample of informal caregivers.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rrze-elements accordion style_default\" id=\"accordion-2\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion-group med\">\n<h2 class=\"accordion-heading\"><button class=\"accordion-toggle\" data-toggle=\"collapse\"  href=\"#collapse_2\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse_2\" id=\"collapse_button_2\"> Use of the COPE 6 in Research <\/button><\/h2>\n<div id=\"collapse_2\" class=\"accordion-body\" aria-labelledby=\"collapse_button_2\">\n<div class=\"accordion-inner clearfix\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">In <strong>research projects<\/strong>, it is useful to identify the coping strategies employed by informal caregivers. Based on these information, measures can be developed in a more targeted manner to reduce the stress experienced by informal caregivers. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/en\/research-cope-6\/\">Here<\/a> you can find articles that use the COPE 6 in their research.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">The COPE 6 was validated in 2026 by Lauer and colleagues. The results of this validation study can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/en\/validation-study-cope-6\/\">here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rrze-elements accordion style_default\" id=\"accordion-3\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion-group med\">\n<h2 class=\"accordion-heading\"><button class=\"accordion-toggle\" data-toggle=\"collapse\"  href=\"#collapse_3\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse_3\" id=\"collapse_button_3\"> All 6 Items of the COPE 6 <\/button><\/h2>\n<div id=\"collapse_3\" class=\"accordion-body\" aria-labelledby=\"collapse_button_3\">\n<div class=\"accordion-inner clearfix\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">The COPE 6 is a <strong>self-report questionnaire<\/strong> consisting of 6 items related to coping strategies. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (4 = Strongly agree, 3 = agree, 2 = partly agree, 1 = disagree, 0 = strongly disagree). There are two subscales: <strong>functional coping strategies<\/strong> (items 1, 3, 5, 6) and <strong>dysfunctional coping strategies<\/strong> (items 2, 4). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">The final version of the COPE 6 includes the following items:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">I\u00b4ve been concentrating my efforts on doing something about the situation I\u00b4m in.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">I\u00b4ve been using alcohol or other drugs to make myself feel better.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">I\u00b4ve been getting emotional support from others.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">I\u00b4ve been giving up trying to deal with it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">I\u00b4ve been getting comfort and understanding from someone.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">I\u00b4ve been trying to get advice or help from other people about what to do.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">The COPE 6 can be downloaded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/en\/download\/\">here.<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rrze-elements accordion style_default\" id=\"accordion-4\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion-group med\">\n<h2 class=\"accordion-heading\"><button class=\"accordion-toggle\" data-toggle=\"collapse\"  href=\"#collapse_4\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse_4\" id=\"collapse_button_4\"> Evaluation and Interpretation of the COPE 6 <\/button><\/h2>\n<div id=\"collapse_4\" class=\"accordion-body\" aria-labelledby=\"collapse_button_4\">\n<div class=\"accordion-inner clearfix\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong>Evaluation and Interpretation:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Four items assess<strong> functional coping strategies<\/strong> (items 1, 3, 5, 6), while two items (items 2 and 4) assess <strong>dysfunctional coping strategies<\/strong>. The scores are calculated separately for each subscale.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><strong>(1) Item Scoring: <\/strong>Each item is rated on a 5-point scale<\/span><\/p>\n<table class=\" aligncenter\" style=\"width: 33.5048%;height: 181px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 151.344px\"><strong>Response<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 55.4531px\"><strong>Points<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 151.344px\"><em>Strongly agree<\/em><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 55.4531px\">4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 151.344px\"><em>Mostly agree<\/em><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 55.4531px\">3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 151.344px\"><em>Neutral<\/em><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 55.4531px\">2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 151.344px\"><em>Mostly disagree<\/em><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 55.4531px\">1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 151.344px\"><em>Strongly disagree<\/em><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 55.4531px\">0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><strong>(2) Score Calculation:<\/strong> Four items describe functional coping strategies, while two items measure dysfunctional coping strategies. The total score is calculated for each subscale. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><strong>(3) Interpretation of the Score:<\/strong> The total score for the subscale &#8220;Functional Coping Strategies&#8221; ranges from 0 to 16 points. The total score for the subscale &#8220;Dysfunctional Coping Strategies&#8221; ranges from 0 to 8 points. Higher scores indicate more frequent use of the use of coping strategies (functional or dysfunctional).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rrze-elements accordion style_default\" id=\"accordion-5\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion-group med\">\n<h2 class=\"accordion-heading\"><button class=\"accordion-toggle\" data-toggle=\"collapse\"  href=\"#collapse_5\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse_5\" id=\"collapse_button_5\"> Literature <\/button><\/h2>\n<div id=\"collapse_5\" class=\"accordion-body\" aria-labelledby=\"collapse_button_5\">\n<div class=\"accordion-inner clearfix\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., &amp; Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: a theoretically based approach.\u00a0<i>Journal of personality and social psychology<\/i>,\u00a0<i>56<\/i>(2), 267.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Carver, C. S., &amp; Scheier, M. F. (2012).\u00a0<i>Attention and self-regulation: A control-theory approach to human behavior<\/i>. Springer Science &amp; Business Media.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Lauer, N., Graessel, E., Hinkl, P., Rohleder, N., &amp; Pendergrass, A. (2026). Coping strategies in challenging situations among informal caregivers: validation of the newly developed six-item German short version of the Brief COPE Inventory (COPE 6). <i>BMC psychology<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Lazarus, R. S. (1966). Psychological stress and the coping process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Lazarus, R. S., &amp; Folkman, S. (1984). <i>Stress, appraisal, and coping<\/i>\u00a0(Vol. 445). Springer.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rrze-elements accordion style_default\" id=\"accordion-6\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion-group med\">\n<h2 class=\"accordion-heading\"><button class=\"accordion-toggle\" data-toggle=\"collapse\"  href=\"#collapse_6\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse_6\" id=\"collapse_button_6\"> Download <\/button><\/h2>\n<div id=\"collapse_6\" class=\"accordion-body\" aria-labelledby=\"collapse_button_6\">\n<div class=\"accordion-inner clearfix\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">You can register to download the scales\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/en\/download\/\">here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">!<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>Those responsible for this website guarantee that all information provided during registration will be treated confidentially, in particular that it will not be passed on to third parties.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">Downloading is permitted for\u00a0<strong>non-commercial use only<\/strong>, which means specifically that<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">the respondent completing the self-assessment tool incurs no immediate (direct) costs (billing as a health insurance benefit by third parties, e.g., doctors, is possible) and<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">the COPE 6 is not resold to third parties in any form as part of a combined survey tool consisting of several survey instruments (e.g., as part of a larger, fee-based assessment tool).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\">Six-Item Short Version of the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief COPE) Inventory (COPE 6)<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The COPE 6, developed by Lauer et al. (2026), encompasses functional and dysfunctional coping strategies, drawing on Frydenberg\u2019s (2014) definition. Functional coping strategies involve strategies directly addressing the challenges of&hellip;<!--&hellip;--> <a class=\"more-link fa fa-angle-double-right\" href=\"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/en\/cope-8\/\" title=\"Read more about &quot;COPE 6&quot;\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5160,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_rrze_cache":"enabled","_rrze_multilang_single_locale":"en_GB","_rrze_multilang_single_source":"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/?page_id=1282","footnotes":""},"page_category":[12],"page_tag":[],"class_list":["post-3171","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","page_category-cope-6","en-GB"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3171"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3192,"href":"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3171\/revisions\/3192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"page_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/page_category?post=3171"},{"taxonomy":"page_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caregiving-tests.de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/page_tag?post=3171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}