Action and cognition in task oriented coping: Factor structure and internal consistency of the CISS-21 with an Indian sample
Objective : Although the Coping Instrument for Stressful Situations – 21 item scale (CISS-21) offers excellent psychometric stability in samples from various countries, data about its validity and reliability among Indian samples is not easily accessible. The current study presents these data from a sample consisting of urban Indians working in the global service sector. Method : Two hundred and seventy four professionals working in highly paying service sector jobs in India completed the CISS-21. The data was analyzed using principal factor analysis and reliability analysis. Results : Instead of the three-factor structure consisting of emotion-oriented, avoidance-oriented, and task-oriented coping strategies, a four-factor structure emerged. This resulting structure indicates that the current Indian sample perceived the task-oriented coping strategy as comprising of two distinct sub-factors: One involving cognitive-appraisal based mechanisms and another where a direct action-based approach is preferred. Conclusion : among the Indian sample involved in the current study, CISS-21 appears to be a reliable and valid scale, albeit with a four instead of three factor structure. Naïve dialecticism and Biculturalism are presented and discussed as possible reasons for this unique factor structure.