Coping Inventory
Discover how you deal with stress using our free online coping self-test and get immediate feedback that you can share with anyone.
Scientific assessments, with this one grounded on the Carver model of coping.
This coping skills psychometric test is based on Carver’s Brief-COPE scale (1997). It assesses your response to stress and coping mechanisms using a scientifically validated inventory.
Benefits
Gyfted’s free values survey questionnaire provides you with insights into what your coping mechanisms are. You will be able to better understand how you manage stress. This knowledge can help you avoid ineffective coping strategies as a student, as well as at work, based on active and passive coping mechanisms.
Why is this of value to me?
Coping styles are strategies that a person uses to deal with stressful situations. Knowing your responses to stressful situations - like divorce, financial stress, grief, relationship, workplace – is valuable as it can help you improve your coping efficacy.
This coping style questionnaire is also useful for understanding the meaning of your behavioral mechanisms for coping with stress. Use it as a tool to focus on more effective strategies when coping with stressful situations.
How you can use this test?
Ways you can use your coping styles questionnaire results:
Understand better your coping strategies inventory and stress response
Become more self-aware of what your most effective strategies are and focus on them
Share your stress management test results with friends or anyone else
How it works?
1
Take this assessment when
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you’re at ease, undisturbed
and ready to focus.
2
Our instructions will guide
you through the process. It’s
easy - just go with your gut
feeling.
you through the process. It’s
easy - just go with your gut
feeling.
3
After completing the test,
you will receive your
feedback immediately
you will receive your
feedback immediately
4
Share your results with
anyone, with just a click of a
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anyone, with just a click of a
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What's Inside? Get immediate feedback by measuring these traits in you
Avoidance
this scale measures the extent to which one employs avoidance as a coping strategy, that is, purposefully ignoring or staying away from stressful situations. High scores in this area could indicate a preference for evading problems rather than directly addressing them.
Positive Thinking
this scale assesses the use of positive thinking or optimism as a coping mechanism. It reflects how much an individual tends to maintain a positive outlook and mindset in the face of adversity. A high score signifies a strong inclination towards viewing situations in a positive light, even under stress.
Problem Solving
this scale measures an individual's propensity to use active, problem-focused coping strategies. It gaives at how often one deals with stress by taking direct action, making plans, and trying to alter the situation. High scores on this scale indicate a proactive approach to stress management.
Seeking Social Support
this scale determines the extent to which an individual seeks help, advice, or emotional support from others when dealing with stress. A high score suggests a preference for relying on social networks for coping with adversity, indicating the importance of interpersonal relationships in their stress management strategy.
Coping Inventory
The COPE Inventory Test, often referred to as coping skills assessment or stress coping test, measures your psychological coping strategies in response to stress. It's crucial in helping you understand how you handle adversity, and it can guide you in building resilience and enhancing your mental well-being.
The COPE Inventory was developed by Carver, Scheier, and Weintraub in 1989 to measure coping strategies, including problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, and dysfunctional coping.
Assessment Insights
This COPE Inventory helps individuals understand their coping mechanisms under stress. This knowledge is valuable for personal growth, as it can guide stress management strategies and mental health maintenance. It also helps in understanding how others may respond to stressful situations, fostering empathy in interpersonal relationships.
In the workplace, the COPE Inventory can be used to identify employees who may be struggling with stress and provide them with the necessary support and resources. It can also be used to create a more cohesive team by helping team members understand each other's coping mechanisms and work together to manage stress effectively. For example, if one team member copes with stress by taking breaks and another copes by working through it, they can work together to find a balance that works for both of them. Additionally, the COPE Inventory can be used in leadership development programs to help managers understand their own coping mechanisms and how they can support their team members in managing stress. Overall, the COPE Inventory is a valuable tool for promoting mental health and building stronger, more resilient teams in the workplace.
Scientific and Empirical Foundations
The original study introducing the COPE Inventory: Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56(2), 267-283. Review of coping strategies: Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer. Application of coping strategies in personal growth: Suls, J., & Fletcher, B. (1985). The relative efficacy of avoidant and nonavoidant coping strategies: A meta-analysis. Health Psychology, 4(3), 249-288. Use of coping strategies in the workplace: Krohne, H. W. (2002). Stress and coping theories. In International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (pp. 15163-15170). Pergamon. The role of coping strategies in leadership development: Quick, J. C., Wright, T. A., Adkins, J. A., Nelson, D. L., & Quick, J. D. (2013). Preventive stress management in organizations. American Psychological Association. Coping strategies in team dynamics: Driskell, T., Salas, E., & Driskell, J. E. (2018). Stress, performance, and decision making in organizations. In Decision making in high-stakes environments (pp. 217-236). Routledge.
Coping Inventory
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Frequently asked questions
What is a coping mechanism?
Significant life events, whether positive or negative, can cause stress. Coping mechanisms (commonly termed coping strategies or coping skills) are defined as the approaches and inventory that a person uses to deal with stressful situations. Coping mechanisms can help people adjust to stressful events while helping them maintain their emotional well-being.
What is cope theory?
Coping theory is an area of study that explores coping mechanisms through two approaches:
Focus-oriented state and trait theories recognize that one has the capacity and resources to evaluate how well he or she can adapt to a situation.
Approach-oriented micro and macro analytic theories look into how concrete or abstract the coping mechanisms are (Carver, Scheier, & Weintraub, 1989).
These theories were summarized in Carver’s Brief-COPE scale (1997).
What coping strategies are there?
Hundreds of active coping strategies have been identified. Typically, people use a mixture of the following types of coping strategies, which may change over time:
- Problem-solving (problem-focused coping or adaptive behavioral) involves identifying a problem that is causing stress and then developing and putting into action a toolset for resolving problems efficiently
- Positive thinking (appraisal-focused or adaptive cognitive) is about accepting one’s defeats and making them one’s strengths.
- Appraisal-focused (adaptive cognitive) strategies mean that the person purposely alters their perspective on their situation to have a more positive outlook on their situation
- Emotion-focused coping involves distracting oneself, managing hostile feelings, mindfulness practices, accepting responsibility, or seeking social support.
- Avoidance coping (occupation-focused) is about moving forward, rather than over-thinking problems. Although this might mean lower reflection on stressful situations.
What are the common stressors to coping
Stress is a significant life event or change that demands a response, adjustment, or adaptation. Difficult events, such as divorce, miscarriage, the death of a loved one, or the loss of a job, can cause most people to feel deep grief or distress and are stressors that require coping with. But even events that are considered positive by many — getting married, having a child, or buying a home — can lead to a significant amount of stress. Coping mechanisms help deal with anger, loss, failure, financial stress among others.