Brief COPE (Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced)

The Brief-COPE is a widely used 28-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure how individuals respond to stress.

Questions: 28
Duration: 10 min
Original title: Brief-COPE — Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced
Adaptation: Brief COPE (Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced)
Authors: Carver, C. S.
Created: 1997

The Brief-COPE is a widely used 28-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure how individuals respond to stress. Originally developed by Carver as a streamlined version of the full 60-item COPE Inventory, it provides clinicians with a highly granular view of a patient’s repertoire of adaptive vs maladaptive coping strategies.

Rather than yielding a single diagnostic score, the instrument unpacks the behavioral and cognitive efforts individuals deploy to manage internal and external demands. It helps clinicians build a structured coping strategies map by plotting the patient's typical responses across 14 distinct dimensions. This multidimensional approach is essential for identifying both areas of psychological flexibility and the rigid, unhelpful response patterns that maintain distress over time.

As a validated, repeatable measure, the Brief-COPE bridges the gap between general clinical assessment and targeted intervention. It offers a solid empirical foundation to explore coping strategy effectiveness over the course of therapy, enabling practitioners to track whether patients are successfully acquiring new regulation skills or simply shifting between different forms of avoidance.

Example result

Fictitious result, computed from a sample set of answers.

The Brief COPE is a 28-item self-report questionnaire assessing 14 coping strategies mobilized in response to a stressful event. An abbreviated version of the COPE Inventory by Carver, Scheier and Weintraub (1989), it distinguishes active strategies (active coping, planning, positive reframing, acceptance, seeking instrumental and emotional support), emotion-focused strategies (venting, humor, religion), and passive or avoidant strategies (denial, behavioral disengagement, self-distraction, substance use, self-blame). It can be administered in a dispositional format (habitual coping style) or a situational format (in response to a specific stressful event) in adults.

Coping styles — three factors

Problem-focused coping (high = resource)

Problem-focused coping

832

Active coping

Coping strategy consisting of taking direct action to attempt to eliminate, reduce, or manage the stressor or its effects.

Instrumental support

Coping strategy consisting of seeking advice, help, or concrete information from others.

Planning

Coping strategy consisting of thinking about and developing an action plan to manage the stressful situation.

Positive reframing

Coping strategy consisting of trying to view the stressful situation in a more positive light or finding a beneficial aspect in it (positive reframing).

Emotion-focused coping

1248

Venting

Coping strategy consisting of actively expressing one's negative feelings and emotions (venting).

Emotional support

Coping strategy consisting of seeking comfort, sympathy, and understanding from others.

Humor

Coping strategy consisting of using humor or making jokes about the stressful situation.

Acceptance

Coping strategy consisting of accepting the reality of the stressful situation, particularly when it cannot be changed.

Self-blame

Coping strategy consisting of criticizing or blaming oneself for the stressful situation (self-blame).

Religion

Coping strategy consisting of turning to religion or spirituality to find comfort.

Avoidant coping (high = monitor)

Avoidant coping

832

Self-distraction

Coping strategy consisting of turning to other activities (work, hobbies) to keep one's mind occupied and think less about the stressful situation.

Denial

Coping strategy consisting of refusing to believe the reality of the stressful situation.

Substance use

Coping strategy involving the use of alcohol or other substances to manage stress or feel better.

Behavioral disengagement

Coping strategy consisting of giving up efforts to deal with the stressor or to achieve a goal thwarted by the stressor.

The Brief-COPE does not yield a total score: the profile is interpreted by style. High problem-focused coping is associated with resilience; high avoidant coping is associated with poorer psychological outcomes.

Carver (1997)

French norms Muller & Spitz (2003) — by administration formatMuller et al. (2003) ↗

Dispositional (n = 934)Situational (n = 178)Situation perceived as controllable (n = 49)Situation perceived as uncontrollable (n = 129)Perceived positive evolution (n = 87)Perceived negative evolution (n = 91)

Horizontal axis: strategy score, from 2 ("Not at all" response to both items) to 8 ("Always" response to both items). Each colored dot represents the mean of a reference population (hover over a dot: mean ± standard deviation); the dark vertical line represents the individual's score on this strategy.

2345678

Active coping

Planning

Instrumental support

Positive reframing

Acceptance

Emotional support

Denial

Venting

Self-blame

Humor

Religion

Self-distraction

Substance use

Behavioral disengagement

Dispositional format: habitual way of coping (Table III, n = 934 undergraduate students, 41% male, mean age 19.7 years). Situational format: dealing with the most stressful event over the past two months (Table IV, n = 178 students), with subgroups according to perceived situational control (perceived controllable n = 49 / uncontrollable n = 129) and its perceived trajectory (favorable n = 87 / unfavorable n = 91). The means of the two formats differ substantially (e.g., humor 4.47 dispositional vs 2.72 situational): compare a score against the format corresponding to the administration.

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What the test measures

The Brief-COPE captures a comprehensive profile of an individual's coping repertoire, structured around 14 specific strategy subscales that roll up into three broad clinical families. By breaking down the stress response, the instrument allows practitioners to measure:

Problem-Focused Coping: The extent to which a person uses active planning, instrumental support, and direct action to alter or eliminate the source of stress.
Emotion-Focused Coping: The degree to which a patient engages in cognitive or emotional regulation efforts, ranging from active acceptance and positive reframing to outward venting and self-blame.
Avoidant Coping: The reliance on distraction, denial, substance use, and behavioral disengagement, often indicating underlying automatic behaviors that provide short-term relief at a long-term cost.

The questionnaire is intended for adult populations experiencing a wide array of stressors, from chronic illness and bereavement to significant occupational pressure or acute life transitions.

When and why to use it

Clinicians deploy the Brief-COPE at various stages of therapy to move beyond general narratives of distress and pinpoint the exact mechanisms maintaining the patient's difficulty. Its primary clinical indications include:

Intake baseline: Mapping the patient's default response to sources of workplace stress or personal adversity to orient the initial treatment plan.
Differential support: Distinguishing between a lack of active problem-solving skills and an over-reliance on avoidance, which require fundamentally different therapeutic interventions.
Monitoring change: Tracking shifts from maladaptive to adaptive strategies as therapy progresses, particularly when building resilience in the face of unchangeable circumstances.
Crisis planning: Identifying severe behavioral disengagement or substance use early to rapidly scaffold coping in crisis and build distress tolerance.

A validated coping profile adds crucial granularity over clinical impression alone, translating vague patient reports of handling a situation into distinct, quantifiable behavioral strategies that can be directly addressed in session.

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The questions

The following statements describe ways to cope with a stressful situation. For each item, indicate to what extent you have been doing what the statement says when facing the situation:
1. I've been turning to work or other activities to take my mind off things.
Probes the use of alternative tasks to divert attention away from the problem.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
2. I've determined a course of action and have been following it.
Evaluates direct, active efforts to change the stressful circumstances.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
3. I've been telling myself this isn't real.
Assesses cognitive denial regarding the reality of the event.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
4. I've been using alcohol or other substances to feel better.
Probes the use of substances as a quick emotional regulator.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
5. I've been getting emotional support from others.
Measures the active pursuit of sympathy and emotional validation from one's social network.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
6. I've been giving up trying to deal with the situation.
Assesses behavioral disengagement and the relinquishing of coping efforts.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
7. I've been trying to find comfort in my religion or spiritual beliefs.
Evaluates reliance on faith and spirituality for emotional grounding.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
8. I've accepted the reality of my new situation.
Probes the capacity to acknowledge the factual reality of the difficult situation.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
9. I've been talking about my unpleasant feelings to let them out.
Measures the outward verbal venting of emotional distress.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
10. I've been getting help and advice from other people.
Assesses the seeking of instrumental, practical guidance from others.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
11. I've been trying to see the situation in a more positive light.
Evaluates the cognitive effort to reframe the stressor constructively.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
12. I've been criticizing myself.
Probes the presence of harsh self-judgment and internalized blame.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
13. I've been trying to come up with a strategy about what to do.
Measures the deliberate cognitive planning of a response.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
14. I've been getting comfort and understanding from someone.
Assesses the reliance on interpersonal comfort to manage distress.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
15. I've been giving up on trying to cope.
Evaluates feelings of helplessness and the abandonment of regulation efforts.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
16. I've been treating the situation with humor.
Probes the use of humor as a mechanism to diffuse tension.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
17. I've been doing something to think about it less (like going to the movies, watching TV, reading, daydreaming, sleeping, or shopping).
Assesses reliance on passive entertainment and behavioral distraction to avoid thinking about the stressor.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
18. I've been expressing my negative feelings.
Measures the outward manifestation of frustration or sadness.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
19. I've been trying to get advice or help from other people about what to do.
Evaluates the active solicitation of actionable support.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
20. I've been concentrating my efforts on dealing with the situation.
Probes the focusing of attention and energy toward problem resolution.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
21. I've been refusing to believe that this is happening to me.
Assesses deep cognitive denial and the rejection of facts.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
22. I've been using alcohol or other substances to help me get through the situation.
Measures the functional use of substances to endure the stressor.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
23. I've been learning to live with my new situation.
Evaluates adaptive accommodation to the new, stressful reality.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
24. I've been planning the steps to take.
Probes the depth of cognitive preparation and tactical problem-solving.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
25. I've been blaming myself for the things that are happening to me.
Assesses the internalization of responsibility and fault for the situation.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
26. I've been looking for the positive aspects of what's happening to me.
Measures the ability to extract positive meaning from adversity.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
27. I've been praying or meditating.
Evaluates the use of spiritual or contemplative practices to manage the situation.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always
28. I've been making fun of the situation.
Probes the use of irony and ridicule to strip the stressor of its emotional impact.
- Not at all
- Sometimes
- Often
- Always