Factorial structure of the Coping Strategies Inventory and its relationship with emotion regulation, anxiety and depression

Coping and emotion regulation are related but differentiated constructs, which may underlie different psychological disorders. The Coping Strategies Inventory (CSI; Tobin, Holroyd, Reynolds, & Wigal, 1989) is one of the most relevant instruments to measure coping. It presents a factorial structure of eight primary factors, four secondary factors and two tertiary factors, which has not been validated in its Spanish adaptation. The aim of this study was to validate the factorial structure of the CSI in Spanish population, and to study the predictive value of coping and emotion regulation in relation with anxious and depressive symptomatology. The sample comprised 498 participants from universities and via on line. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were carried out, which supported the original structure of the instrument in its Spanish adaptation, and a hierarchical regression analysis was also carried out, which showed the differentiated predictive value of coping and emotion regulation in relation to depressive symptomatology. These results support the validity of the complete structure of the CSI and allowed to obtain a better knowledge of the relationship between coping and emotion regulation.