Preliminary Psychometric Characteristics of the Cystic Fibrosis Coping Self-Efficacy (CF-CSE) Scale

Objective: This study aimed to examine the preliminary psychometric characteristics of the Cystic Fibrosis Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CF-CSE), a new measure of coping self-efficacy assessing confidence in one's ability to cope with challenges of living with cystic fibrosis (CF). Methods: Measure development included cognitive testing with people with CF who participated in a pilot trial of CF-CBT, a CF-specific cognitive behavioral therapy skills-based intervention. Data were then collected from a baseline assessment in a multi-center randomized-controlled trial of CF-CBT for adults with mild symptoms of depression and/or anxiety (N = 60). Multitrait analysis was used to evaluate how individual CF-CSE items loaded on five hypothesized subscales, followed by assessment of subscale internal consistency and construct validity. Results: Multitrait analysis supported retention of four subscales (21 items total; 4–7 items each) reflecting coping skill domains: Acceptance-Based Strategies/Self-Compassion, Cognitive Coping, Active Stress Management, and Coping with Daily Self-Care. Each scale had excellent internal consistency (Cronbach ⍺ = 0.81 to 0.90). Medium to large effect-size (ES) correlations were found for all CF-CSE subscales with self-reported Perceived Stress Scale scores, and medium to large ES correlations for all subscales with Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised (CFQ-R) Emotional Functioning. There were medium ES correlations between the Coping with Daily Self-Care subscale and CFQ-R Social and Role Functioning and Health Perceptions. Conclusion: CF-CSE is a new CF-specific measure of coping self-efficacy with preliminary evidence of reliability and construct validity. It offers a promising strengths-based patient-reported outcome measure identifying targets for clinical intervention and evaluating outcomes in CF mental health care.