Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire—Revised for Veterans With Pain

As the need for appropriate assessment and treatment of veterans with chronic pain continues to grow, it is important to ensure that the instruments we use to complete these assessments, such as the Coping Strategies Questionnaire–Revised (CSQ-R), are validated on this population. The purpose of the present study was to confirm the factor structure of the CSQ-R in veterans. Secondary analyses examined associations between various pain coping strategies and measures of mood and health functioning. Participants consisted of 281 veterans who were referred to and evaluated by a Psychology Pain Management Program in a northeastern Department of Veterans Affairs health care facility. Participants completed self-report questionnaires including the CSQ-R and measures of disability, mood, and health. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) compared the 6-factor solution to models identified in other studies. The CFA indicated that the 6-factor solution of the CSQ-R proposed by Riley and Robinson (1997) is valid and has the best fit of all models tested when used with veterans. The results of the secondary correlational analyses were consistent with previous research indicating that coping self-statements and ignoring pain are adaptive pain coping strategies. Our findings support the psychometric soundness of the 6-factor CSQ-R when used with veterans with chronic pain.