Abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Cope Scale that assessed coping styles, and to determine the preliminary norm. The Cope Scale was tested on a total of 1,144 subjects (559 males and 585 females, mean age=31 03±7.99) from six regions in Mainland China. According to the results of exploratory factor analysis, there were four fundamental coping styles: (1) active coping focused on the problems, (2) denying the problems and mental disengagement, (3) seeking emotional support and venting of emotions, (4) avoiding the problems and shifting attention. Reliability and validity were demonstrated within the subscales. The reliability of the subscales were higher than 0.75. Significant correlations were showed between the scores of the subscales and those of EPQ. The results showed that the Cope Scale had good reliability and validity, and could be used to assess coping styles. The study also gathered norms for the Scale in adults, and the differences in coping styles among different age groups and gender were discussed.

Key words: coping, cope scale, factor analysis, reliability, validity