The Many Methods of Religious Coping – RCOPE
A multidimensional measure of positive and negative religious coping strategies used in response to stressful life events.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The The Many Methods of Religious Coping – RCOPE was developed by Kenneth I. Pargament, Bruce W. Smith, Harold G. Koenig, & Lisa Perez (2000). It is designed to measure Religious Coping. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 105 items organized into 21 factors/subscales: Benevolent Religious Reappraisal, Punishing God Reappraisal, Demonic Reappraisal, Reappraisal of God’s Powers, Collaborative Religious Coping, Active Religious Surrender, Passive Religious Deferral, Pleading for Direct Intercession, Self-Directing Religious Coping, Seeking Spiritual Support, Religious Distraction, Religious Purification, Spiritual Connection, Spiritual Discontent, Marking Religious Boundaries, Seeking Support from Clergy or Members, Religious Helping, Interpersonal Religious Discontent, Seeking Religious Direction, Religious Conversion, Religious Forgiving.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Benevolent Religious Reappraisal | 1,2,3,4,5 | 5 |
| Punishing God Reappraisal | 6,7,8,9,10 | 5 |
| Demonic Reappraisal | 11,12,13,14,15 | 5 |
| Reappraisal of God's Powers | 16,17,18,19,20 | 5 |
| Collaborative Religious Coping | 21,22,23,24,25 | 5 |
| Active Religious Surrender | 26,27,28,29,30 | 5 |
| Passive Religious Deferral | 31,32,33,34,35 | 5 |
| Pleading for Direct Intercession | 36,37,38,39,40 | 5 |
| Self-Directing Religious Coping | 41,42,43,44,45 | 5 |
| Seeking Spiritual Support | 46,47,48,49,50 | 5 |
| Religious Distraction | 51,52,53,54,55 | 5 |
| Religious Purification | 56,57,58,59,60 | 5 |
| Spiritual Connection | 61,62,63,64,65 | 5 |
| Spiritual Discontent | 66,67,68,69,70 | 5 |
| Marking Religious Boundaries | 71,72,73,74,75 | 5 |
| Seeking Support from Clergy or Members | 76,77,78,79,80 | 5 |
| Religious Helping | 81,82,83,84,85 | 5 |
| Interpersonal Religious Discontent | 86,87,88,89,90 | 5 |
| Seeking Religious Direction | 91,92,93,94,95 | 5 |
| Religious Conversion | 96,97,98,99,100 | 5 |
| Religious Forgiving | 101,102,103,104,105 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all, 2 = Somewhat, 3 = Quite a bit, 4 = A great deal.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 5 to 20. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Use: 5 – 9
- Moderate Use: 10 – 14
- High Use: 15 – 20
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Alpha values range from .60 to .90 across subscales.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 25 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.