Ways of Religious Coping Scale – WORCS
Measures the frequency and types of religious coping strategies individuals use to manage stressful situations.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Ways of Religious Coping Scale – WORCS was developed by Edwin Boudreaux, S. Catz, Laurie Ryan, Marta Amaral-Mendez, & Phillip J. Brantley (1995). It is designed to measure Religious Coping. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 40 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Internal/Private, External/Social, General.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Internal/Private | 1,5,12,14,15,16,24,28,31,32,33,34,35,37,38 | 15 |
| External/Social | 7,8,17,20,25,26,29,30,36,40 | 10 |
| General | 2,3,4,6,9,10,11,13,18,19,21,22,23,27,39 | 15 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = not at all/does not apply, 1 = sometimes, 2 = often, 3 = very often, 4 = always.
The scale includes 4 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 160. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low use of religious coping: 0 – 53
- Moderate use of religious coping: 54 – 106
- High use of religious coping: 107 – 160
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.