Development of a Korean Coping Strategy Scale and Examination of Urban Low Income Housewives' Coping Strategy

도시 저소득층 주부의 스트레스에 대한 대처전략척도 개발과 대처행동 조사

The purpose of this study was to develop a Korean Coping Strategy Scale and to examine coping characteristics of Korean housewives form urban low-income families using this Scale. Two hundred and forty mothers were either interviewed or filled out this Coping Strategy Scale and Demograpic Information Questionnaire. The Coping Strategy Scale consisted of 14 items under 4 dimensions of problem-solving, support-seeking, emotion-regulation/explosion, and abandonment. Item analysis and construct validation were found acceptable. The alpha coefficient of the Scale was 73. The results showed that the mothers used problem-solving most as a coping strategy, followed by supportseeking and emotion-regulation/explosion. Abandonment coping strategy was used least frequently. The demographic variables of mother's and their husbands' age, duration of marriage, income and expenditure per moth were significantly related to mothers' coping strategies.