The COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the Brief-COPE structure

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Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the dimensional structure of Brief-COPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. Six hundred and sixty-six adults from all regions of Brazil, mostly women (77 %), aged between 18 and 79 years old (M = 36.70; SD = 13.12), took part in this research. They answered sociodemographic questions and the Brief-COPE. Descriptive and confirmatory factor analyzes were performed. The first order dimensional structure was confirmed with the 14 original factors. The second order structure did not converge, and a new second order structure was proposed based on the correlation indexes among the first order factors. The proposed new model presented adequate indexes of adjustment to the data. Such results suggest that the pandemic may have changed the way participants perceive and relate coping strategies.