Assessing the Structure of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire in Fibromyalgia Patients Using Common Factor Analytic Approaches

Table 1

Summary of previous factor analytic studies of the WOC.

Authors	Year	Population	Stressor	n	Approach	Rotation	Extraction rule	Factors	Names of factors
Folkman & Lazarus	1985	Californian undergraduate students	In situ: exams	324 (108 independent)	“Common factor analyses” (NOS)	Oblique	Interpretability	6	Confrontive coping; Distancing; Self-controlling; Seeking social support; Accepting responsibility; Escape-avoidance; Planful problem-solving; Positive reappraisal
Vitaliano et al.	1985	Psychiatric outpatients; Alzheimer’s disease spousal caregivers; medical	In situ: anger; caregiving; occupation-education	83; 62; 425	PCA	Orthogonal (varimax)	Eigenvalue > 1; Interpretability		Problem-focused coping; Blamed self; Wishful thinking; Seeking social support; Avoidance
Folkman et al.	1986	White, Southern Californian married adults (women aged 35–45 years)	In situ: child-rearing	150	Alpha factoring; PAF (8 factors preselected)	Oblique	Interpretability	8	Confrontive coping; Distancing; Self-controlling; Seeking social support; Accepting responsibility; Escape-avoidance; Planful problem-solving; Positive reappraisal
Aldwin & Revenson	1987	Southern Californian adults	In situ: recalling any recent stressor	291	PAF	Orthogonal (varimax); Oblique	Interpretability; “Clearest and most interpretable results on both conceptual and empirical grounds” (p. 340)	8	Escapism; Cautiousness; Instrumental action; Minimization; Support mobilization; Self-blame; Negotiation; Seeking meaning
Scherer et al.	1988	Southern U.S. undergraduate students	Ersatz: stressful events vignettes	491	Adopted Folkman and Lazarus [10] approach (NOS)	Oblique	Eigenvalue > 1	5	Problem-focused; detachment; Wishful thinking; Seeking social support; Focusing on the positive
Parker et al.	1993	Ontarian undergraduate students	In situ: exams	Study 1 (Derivation): 530; Study 2 (Replication): 392	PAF	Oblique; Orthogonal	Eigenvalue > 1; Scree plot visual analysis	4	Confrontive/seeking social support; Problem-focused; Denial; Distancing/avoiding; Not replicated
Mishel & Sorenson	1993	Female gynecological cancer patients	In situ: newly diagnosed, undergoing treatment	231	PCA	Orthogonal (varimax)	Not specified	7	Bargaining; Focusing on the positive; Social support; Concentrated efforts; Wishful thinking; Detachment; Acceptance
Chan	1994	Chinese students and teachers	In situ: Events of daily living	657	MLF	Orthogonal (varimax)	Scree plot visual analysis; TLI; Interpretability; 5% unique variance	4	Rational problem-solving; Resigned distancing; Seeking support and ventilation; Passive wishful thinking
Wineman et al.	1994	Adults with spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis	In situ: disease-related	655	EFA	Orthogonal (quartimax)	Eigenvalue > 1; Scree plot visual analysis	3	Cognitive reframing; Emotional respite; Direct assistance
Smyth & Yarandi	1996	Working African-American women	In situ: work stressors	656	PFA	Oblique	Scree plot visual analysis	3	Active coping; Avoidant coping; Minimizing the situation
Ax	1999	Adults with chronic fatigue syndrome, myalgic encephalomyelitis, or postviral fatigue; adult caregivers	In situ: disease-related; caregiving	155; 95	PCA	Orthogonal (varimax) and convergence	Scree plot visual analysis	8	Confrontive coping; Distancing; Self-controlling; Seeking social support; Accepting responsibility; Escape-avoidance; Planful problem-solving; Positive reappraisal
Sørlie & Sexton^†	2001	Adult surgery patients; adult surgery patients	In situ: surgery	555; 482	PAF	Orthogonal (varimax)	Eigenvalue > 1; Scree plot visual analysis	5	Wishful thinking; Goal-oriented; Seeking support; Thinking it over; Avoidance
Rosberger et al.	2002	Female breast cancer patients	In situ: newly diagnosed	156	FA (NOS)	Oblique	Scree plot visual analysis	3	Positive problem-solving; Escape/avoidance; Seeking social support
Hwang et al.	2002	U.S. healthcare workers; Chinese healthcare workers; Chinese teachers; Taiwanese teachers	In situ: work stressors	682; 396; 372; 364	PCA	Orthogonal (varimax)	Eigenvalue > 1		Planning; Positive reappraisal; Distancing
Lundqvist & Ahlström	2006	Swedish adults with neurological diseases; Swedish next-of-kin; Swedish students	In situ: disease-related; caregiving; education	219; 77; 214	Confirmatory MLF	Oblique	RMSEA; GFI; AGFI; CFI; IFI	8	Confrontive coping; Distancing; Self-controlling; Seeking social support; Accepting responsibility; Escape-avoidance; Planful problem-solving; Positive reappraisal
Senol-Durak et al.	2011	Turkish undergraduate students; Turkish adults	Not specified: administered in classroom, work, and home environments	Study 1: 472; Study 2: 485; Study 3: 416	PCA	Oblique	Eigenvalue > 1; PA; MAP	20; 8	Planful problem-solving; Keep to self; Seeking social support; Accept responsibility; Escape-avoidance; Refuge in supernatural forces; Refuge in fate
Padyab et al.	2012	Iranian adults	In situ: most recent stressful event	739	PCA	Oblique	PA	7	Confrontive coping; Distancing; Self-control; Seeking social support; Escape-avoidance; Planful problem-solving; Positive reappraisal

Note. PCA = principal components analysis; PAF = principal axis factoring; MLF = maximum likelihood factoring; PA = parallel analysis; MAP = minimum average partial; TLI = Tucker-Lewis Index; RMSEA = root mean squared error of approximation; GFI = Good of Fit Index; AGFI = Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index; CFI = Comparative Fit Index; IFI = Incremental Fit Index; NOS = not otherwise specified. factors were extracted mathematically, but one factor was divided (based on rationale) into three unique factors. medical student sample was used as sample for the primary analysis to determine the number of factors. factors were extracted mathematically, but two factors were combined (based on rationale and the low numbers of items that loaded onto the factors). factors were chosen, because these were the only ones that replicated across each of the four samples. 5-point Likert-type scale supplanted the original 4-point scale in this study. was the apparently preferred solution to the authors.