Validation of the PROACTIVE Coping Inventory on Serbian University Students

  • Dragana Z. Stanojević University of Priština in Kosovska Mitrovica, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology
  • Emilija U. Popović University of Priština in Kosovska Mitrovica, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology
  • Branislava M. Dilparić University of Priština in Kosovska Mitrovica, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of English Language and Literature
Keywords: PROACTIVE coping inventory, Serbian version, university students, validation

Abstract


The existing literature recognizes the importance of studying proactive coping among university students. There are two different conceptualizations of proactive coping, one by Aspinwall and Taylor (1997) and the other by Greenglass et al. (1999). To date, the Proactive Coping Inventory (Greenglass et al., 1999) is the most frequently used instrument that measures this concept. However, the main aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of a newly developed measure, the PROACTIVE coping inventory (Tian et al., 2023). The translation process of the PROACTIVE coping inventory followed the back-translation procedure. A series of questionnaires were completed online and a total of 171 respondents were included in the final sample. The age of the respondents ranged from 18 to 26; three quarters of them were female. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the Serbian version of the PROACTIVE coping inventory matched the original factor solution (χ2(df)= 202.350 (129), p= .000, χ2/df=1.569, CFI= .920, TLI= .908, RMSEA= .053). The active preparation, ineffective preparation, and self-management subscales showed good internal consistency (Cronbach α: .76, .73 and .73 respectively), while the utilization of social resources subscale had a lower but acceptable α= .66. The correlation analysis showed good convergent validity for all subscales except for ineffective preparation. The results obtained, the limitations of the study, and the need for future research have been discussed.

Author Biography

Dragana Z. Stanojević, University of Priština in Kosovska Mitrovica, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology

psihologija mentalnog zdravlja

klinička psihologija

primena psihologije u saobraćaju

References

Almássy, Z., Pék, G., Papp, G., Greenglass, E. R. (2014). The Psychometric Properties of the Hungarian Version of the Proactive Coping Inventory: Reliability, Construct Validity and Factor Structure. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 14(1), 115‒124.

Aspinwall, L. G. & Taylor, S. E. (1997). A Stitch in Time: Self-Regulation and Proactive Coping. Psychological Bulletin, 121(3), 417‒436.

Bekhter, A. A., Gagarin, A. V., Filatova, O. A. (2021). Reactive and Proactive Coping Behaviors in Russian First-Year Students: Diagnostics and Development Opportunities. RUDN Journal of Psychology and Pedagogics, 18(1), 85‒103.

Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing Coping Strategies: A Theoretically Based Approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56(2), 267–283.

Chang, Y., Chien, C., Shen, L.-F. (2021). Telecommuting During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Future Time Orientation as a Mediator Between Proactive Coping and Perceived Work Productivity in Two Cultural Samples. Personality and Individual Differences, 171, Article 110508.

Djordjevic, D. & Greenglass, E. R. (2006). Proactive Coping Inventory ‒ Serbian Version. Retrieved on February 15, 2023, from: https://estherg.info.yorku.ca/files/2014/09/SerbianPCI.pdf?x53209>

Đurić, B. (2017). Razlike u kognitivnim strategijama prevladavanja stresa kod studenata iz Slovenije i Srbije. Godišnjak za psihologiju, 14, 35‒48.

Efendi, R. & Anindita, R. (2022). The Role of Proactive Coping and Future Time Orientation on Perceived Work Productivity in Generations Y and Z. Indonesian Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship (IJBE), 8(2), 229‒229.

Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R. S. (1985). If It Changes, It Must Be a Process: Study of Emotion and Coping during Three Stages of a College Examination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48(1), 150–170.

Goodman, L. A. (1961). Snowball Sampling. Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 32, 142–170.

Greenglass, E., Fiksenbaum, L., Eaton, J. (2006). The Relationship Between Coping, Social Support, Functional Disability and Depression in the Elderly. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 19(1), 15‒31.

Greenglass, E. R. (2000, July 20–22). Work Rage and Its Psychological Implications [Conference presentation]. 21st International STAR Conference, Bratislava, Slovakia.

Greenglass, E. R. (2002). Proactive Coping. In: E. Frydenberg (Ed.), Beyond Coping: Meeting Goals, Visions, and Challenges (37‒62). London: Oxford University Press.

Greenglass, E. R., Schwarzer, R., Jakubiec, D., Fiksenbaum, L., Taubert, S. (1999, July). The Proactive Coping Inventory (PCI): A Multidimensional Research Instrument [Conference presentation]. 20th International Conference of the Stress and Anxiety Research Society (STAR), Cracow, Poland.

Gutiérrez Doña, E. B. (2002). Coping with Stress at Work: A Longitudinal Study on Health Outcomes and Quality of Life [Doctoral dissertation]. Free University of Berlin, Department of Education and Psychology.

Hambrick, E. P., & McCord, D. M. (2010). Proactive Coping and Its Relation to the FiveFactor Model of Personality. Individual Differences Research, 8(2), 67‒77.

JASP Team. (2021). JASP (0.15) [Computer software].

Lücker, P. et al. (2022). Stress, Coping and Considerations of Leaving the Profession – A Cross-Sectional Online Survey of Teachers and School Principals after Two Years of the Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(23), 16122.

Manić, S., Janjić, V., Dejanović, S. D., Aleksić, A., Aleksić, Z., Jaredić, B., Krkić, M. (2017). Burnout, Depression and Proactive Coping in Underground Coal Miners in Serbia ‒ Pilot Project. Serbian Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research, 18(1), 45‒52.

Mih, V., Mih, C., Dragoş, V. (2017). Proactive Coping, Engagement in Learning and Deep Processing as Mediators Between Autonomous Motivation and Adjustment at School. Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Psychologia-Paedagogia, 62(1), 27–46.

Pallant, J. (2009). SPSS: Priručnik za preživljavanje. Beograd: Mikro knjiga.

Ranđelović, D. & Minić, J. (2012). Predictors of Students’ Life Satisfaction. Engrami, 34(1), 59‒68.

Ruiselova, Z. (2011). Antonovsky’s Sense of Coherence in the Context of Personality and Coping. Inovacije u nastavi – časopis za savremenu nastavu, 24(4), 19–34.

Schwarzer, R. & Luszczynska, A. (2008). Reactive, Anticipatory, Preventive, and Proactive Coping: A Theoretical Distinction. The Prevention Researcher, 15(4), 22‒25.

Schwarzer, R. & Taubert, S. (2002). Tenacious Goal Pursuits and Striving toward Personal Growth: Proactive Coping. In: E. Frydenberg (Ed.), Beyond Coping: Meeting Goals, Visions and Challenges (19–35). London: Oxford University Press.

Sollár, T. & Sollarova, E. (2009). Proactive Coping from the Perspective of Age, Gender and Education. Studia Psychologica, 51(2–3), 161–165.

Stanojević, D. (2009). The New Approaches in Investigation of Coping with Stressful Situations. Zbornik radova Filozofskog fakulteta u Prištini, 39, 451‒465.

Stanojević, D., Krstić, M., Jaredić, B., Dimitrijević, B. (2014). Proactive Coping as a Mediator Between Resources and Outcomes: A Structural Equations Modeling Analysis. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 9, 871‒885.

Šram, Z. (2014). Eksplorativna i konfirmatorna faktorska analiza skale nacionalističkog sindroma (sns-1). Političke perspektive, 4 (10), 7–30.

Tian, L. et al. (2023). A PROACTIVE Coping Scale for U. S. College Students: Initial Evidence and Implications. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 41(4), 395–415.

Vaculíková, J. (2016). Proactive Coping Behavior in Sample of University Students in Helping Professions. Sociální pedagogika / Social Education, 4(2), 38–55.

Vaculíková, J. (2017). Exploring the Multivariate Aspects of the Proactive Coping Inventory. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, Special Issue for ITEC 2017, 344‒350.

Wibhowo, C., Retnowati, S., Ul Hasanat, N. (2019). Childhood Trauma, Proactive Coping, and Borderline Personality among Adults. Research Studies in Psychology, 8(1), 27‒35.

Published
2023/10/12
Section
Original Scientific Paper