• Machelle Rinaldis, Kenneth I Pakenham, Brigid M Lynch, and Joanne F Aitken.
• School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Qld., Australia. machelle@psy.uq.edu.au
• Psychooncology. 2009 Jun 1;18(6):624-33.

ObjectiveThis longitudinal study developed and confirmed the factor structure of the 32-item Coping with Colorectal Cancer (CCRC) measure. Reliability and validity of the measure were also assessed.MethodsParticipants were 1800 individuals diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC). A written questionnaire and a telephone interview were completed at 5 (Time 1) and 12 months post-diagnosis (Time 2).ResultsExploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed eight mostly empirically distinct subscales: Positive Perceptual Change, Religion/Spirituality, Rumination, Acceptance, Humour, Palliative, Seeking Social Support, and Lifestyle Reorganisation. Internal reliabilities were adequate and comparable to other coping measures, and test-retest analyses showed moderate temporal stability of the subscales. Cross-sectional and longitudinal regression analyses were conducted to establish criterion-related validity. As hypothesised, after controlling for demographics, disease/treatment, and stress/coping variables, regression analyses showed that CCRC subscales uniquely predicted Time 1 quality of life (QOL) outcomes (positive affect, cancer-related QOL, psychological distress). After controlling for Time 1 QOL, Seeking Social Support coping continued to predict Time 2 positive affect.ConclusionsResults demonstrated the preliminary validity and reliability of the CCRC subscales, and have extended the cancer coping research by revealing new relations between coping subscales and QOL in a mixed-gender, older population with CRC.

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