Construct validity and test-retest reliability of the Coping Inventory (CI) for children with developmental disabilities

OBJECTIVE. A reliable, valid, and readily usable method of measuring coping is essential for occupational therapy practitioners and researchers working with children with developmental disabilities. The aim of this study was to examine evidence for the construct validity and internal and test–retest reliability of the Coping Inventory (CI), a 48-item survey designed for use with children. METHOD. School staff (N = 39) completed CIs for 79 students with developmental disabilities age 5–13 yr (mean = 8.0, standard deviation = 2.0) who were primarily boys (n = 52; 68%) with autism spectrum disorder (n = 40 of 47 diagnoses provided). We used Rasch analysis to examine construct validity, internal reliability, and possible redundancy of items and intraclass correlations, Pearson correlations, Bland–Altman plots, and t tests were used to examine test–retest reliability. RESULTS. Rasch analysis provided evidence of construct validity: All items correlated positively with the overall measure; data from 94% of items conformed with Rasch expectations, and the items form a logical hierarchy. Intraclass correlations revealed an average coefficient of .96, providing evidence of test–retest reliability. CONCLUSION. The CI demonstrated good evidence for construct validity and internal and test–retest reliability. Redundancy of items suggests that some items could be eliminated after further research.