Abstract
Two common German coping questionnaires, the ‘Trierer Skalen zur Krankheitsbewältigung’ (TSK, Klauer & Filipp, 1993) and the ‘Freiburger Fragebogen zur Krankheitsverarbeitung’ (FKV, Muthny, 1989) were compared in a cross-sectional study (including 224 heart patients in rehabilitation). Both questionnaires are multidimensional (5 scales each) and require approx. 15 minutes response time. Internal consistencies (with one exception) were found to be sufficient or good (Cronbach's α from 0.66 to 0.81), those of the TSK (with a greater number of items per scale and items in full sentences) a little bit higher. With respect to concurrent validity the scales of the two questionnaires obviously measure different dimensions (despite some similiar scale names) and show only low to moderate correlations. Substantial relationships of coping scales with outcome criteria like depression, anxiety and rehabilitation status were found for ‘depressive coping’ of the FKV and ‘rumination’ of the TSK. While the TSK show better reliability, the FKV can be applied in self-rating as well as in ratings by experts and relatives and offers more comparative date in a broad spectrum of fields and diseases.
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