ABSTRACT
There is a need for valid but parsimonious measures for the identification of individual resources that reduce the effects of stress in multiple contexts. The objective of this study was to obtain an abbreviated version of the Coping Stress Indicator (CSI), a self-report measure for international use, which evaluates three global strategies: Problem Solving, Support Search, and Avoidance. A total of 607 young adults participated, from Metropolitan Lima City (Perú). The 33 item CSI was used. The CSI was administered in groups, and the analysis was done using a substantive (theoretical analysis of the selected items to reduce the dependence on the results on the sample); and empirical approach (modeling of structural equations for categorical variables, as well as Rasch model analysis for ordinal items). The measurement invariance and the long–short equivalence of the CSI versions were also evaluated. An acceptable model fit for the full version was found; but the derived short version showed a superior fit, with good reliability (but moderate for the avoidance dimension). The equivalence between the long and the short version was acceptable to classify the sample in tertiles and quartiles. Measurement invariance, comparing males and females, reached strict invariance; and the scores of the scales show acceptable properties from the Rasch analysis. The theoretical and practical implications, as well as the potential international expectations of the obtained version are discussed.
