Validation of the structure of Lazarus & Folkman´s Ways of Coping Questionnarie: a restrictive factor analysis

Stress and coping styles are a central issue in contemporary psychology. Lazarus & Folkman contributions to this area are a crucial point. From an assessment point of view these authors developed the “Ways of Coping Questionnaire” (Folkman & Lazarus, 1980, 1986). In sum, these authors defend an octofactorial solution of this test. This solution would be reductible to a problem-focused coping factor and an emotionfocused coping factor.However, its construct validity is not defined at all. This is due to the scaraty of replications this structure has obtained. Studies carried out with exploratory or confirmatory methodology, do not support the octofactorial solution of the scale. We developed a restrictive factorial analysis from 222 subjects. Unlike previous works, in this study a series of nested models to answer the question of weather first and second order factors are or not justified. This study doesn’t find the proposed factorial structure.