Assessment of Beliefs and Behaviors in Coping – ABC (Self-Report Version)
Measures the frequency with which individuals rely on religious and spiritual beliefs and behaviors to cope with stress.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Assessment of Beliefs and Behaviors in Coping – ABC (Self-Report Version) was developed by Shah, M. M., Douglas, R. P., Maheshwari, D., & McCarthy, C. J. (2012). It is designed to measure Religious and spiritual coping. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 17 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Structure and Routine, Social and Community Support, Relationship with a Higher Power, Cognitive and Worldview Coping.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Structure and Routine | 1,2,3 | 3 |
| Social and Community Support | 4,5,6,7 | 4 |
| Relationship with a Higher Power | 8,9,10,11,12 | 5 |
| Cognitive and Worldview Coping | 13,14,15,16,17 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never, 2 = A few times a year, 3 = A few times a month, 4 = A few times a week, 5 = Daily or almost daily.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 17 to 85. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low reliance on religious/spiritual coping: 17 – 39
- Moderate reliance on religious/spiritual coping: 40 – 62
- High reliance on religious/spiritual coping: 63 – 85
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified in source text.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.