• Developed to measure coping after a sudden onset SCI
  • Made up of three domains:
    1) Acceptance of Injury, measures the extent of reevaluation of life values
    2) Social Reliance, measures the tendency towards dependent behaviour
    3) Fighting Spirit, measures efforts to behave independently

Clinical Considerations

  • The results of the SCL CSQ are to be used to advise clinicians about specific coping mechanisms of acceptance, fighting spirit and social reliance.
  • Coping strategies have been shown to be associated with emotional well-being. The SCL CSQ is a measure to assess coping efforts, rather than the outcomes of coping which is more typically measured, and may be a more pertinent tool to assess emotional well-being.
  • The scale was originally developed for the SCI population
  • The SCL CSQ can be completed online, over the telephone or in person. It is short and simple to complete, and represents no significant burden to the respondent. The scale is simple to administer and score.

ICF Domain

Body Function ▶ General Functions

Administration

  • Self-report scale; can be completed in hard copy, online or over the telephone
  • Participants are asked to answer each question on a 4-point Likert scale (1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = disagree, 4 = strongly disagree)

Number of Items

12

Equipment

None

Scoring

Domain scores are summed and then averaged. Scores range between 1 and 4 for each domain.

Languages

English, Danish, Swedish, Turkish, Persian, and Spanish.

Training Required

Does not require advanced training.

Availability

The Spinal Cord Lesion-related Coping Strategies Questionnaire worksheet can be found here.

# of studies reporting psychometric properties: 6

Interpretability

  • Higher scores indicate greater affirmation of the domain to coping
  • No cut scores or norms for the SCI population with have been reported at this time

MCID: not established in SCI
SEM: not established in SCI
MDC: not established in SCI

Reliability – Low to High

The SCL-CSQ subscale has Moderate to High test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.74-0.89) and Low to High internal consistency (alpha = 0.67-0.88).

(Elfstrom et al. 2022: n=274, 204 males, 70 females; tetraplegia and paraplegia)
(Elfstrom et al. 2007: n=355, 279 males, 74 females; injury level: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral; complete and incomplete SCI)
(Paker et al. 2014: Turkish version; n=100, 74 males; time since injury = 28.5 months)
(Saffari et al. 2015: Iranian version; n=220, 164 males; mean time since injury = 51.0 months)
(Saurí et al. 2014: Spanish version; n=551, 375 males, 136 females; mean (SD) time since injury = 15.44 (10.00) years=)

Validity – Low to Moderate

  • Correlation between SCL-CSQ subscales is Low for:
    • Acceptance & Fighting Spirit (Pearson’s r = 0.37)
    • Acceptance & Social Reliance (Pearson’s r = -0.14)
    • Fighting Spirit & Social Reliance (Pearson’s r = -0.13).
  • Correlation of the SCL-CSQ Acceptance subscale is Moderate with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale subscales – Anxiety (Pearson’s r = -0.45) and Depression (Pearson’s r = -0.58).
  • Correlation of the SCL-CSQ Fighting Spirit subscale is Moderate with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale subscales – Anxiety (Pearson’s r = -0.40) and Depression (Pearson’s r = -0.49).
  • Correlation of the SCL-CSQ is Low to Moderate with the SCIM-III and Community Integration Questionnaire (r = 0.16-0.33).

(Elfstrom et al. 2002: n=274, 204 males, 70 females; tetraplegia and paraplegia)
(Elfstrom et al. 2007: n=335, 279 males; injury level = cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral; complete and incomplete)
(Saffari et al. 2015: Iranian version; n=220, 164 males; mean time since injury = 51.0 months)

Responsiveness

No values were reported for the responsiveness of the SCL-CSQ for the SCI population.

Floor/Ceiling Effect

No values were reported for the presence of floor/ceiling effects in the SCL-CSQ for the SCI population.

Reviewers

Jane Hsieh, Dr. Carlos L. Cano-Herrera, Elsa Sun, Tyra Chu

Date Last Updated

31 December 2024

Aaby A, Ravn S, Elfström ML, Kasch H, Andersen TE. Does the Danish version of the Spinal Cord Lesion-related Coping Strategies Questionnaire measure what we think it measures? A triangulated mixed-methods validation approach. Spinal Cord. 2022; 60(12):1080-1086
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35717550/

Elfstrom, ML, Ryden A, Kreuter M, Persson L-O, Sullivan M. Linkages between coping and psychological outcome in the spinal cord lesioned: development of SCL-related measures. Spinal Cord, 2002; 40: 23-29.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11821966

Elfstrom ML, Kennedy P, Lude P, Taylor N. Condition-related coping strategies in persons with spinal cord injury: a cross-national validation of the Spinal Cord Lesion-related Coping Strategies Questionnaire in four community samples. Spinal Cord, 2007; 45: 420-428.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17179976

Migliorini CE, Elfstom ML, Tonge BJ. Translation and Australian validation of the spinal cord lesion-related coping strategies and emotional wellbeing questionnaires. Spinal Cord 2008:46;690-695.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18332886

Paker N, Bugdayci D, Kesiktas N, Sahin M, Elfström ML. Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of spinal cord lesion-related coping strategies. Spinal Cord. 2014;52(5):383-7.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24322215

Saffari M, Pakpour AH, Yaghobidoot M, Al zaben F, Koenige HG. Cross-cultural adaptation of the spinal cord lesion-related coping strategies questionnaire for use in Iran. Injury. 2015;46(8):1539-44.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26003680

Saurí J, Umaña MC, Chamarro A, Soler MD, Gilabert A, Elfström ML. Adaptation and validation of the Spanish version of the Spinal Cord Lesion-related Coping Strategies Questionnaire (SCL CSQ-S). Spinal Cord. 2014;52(11):842-9.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24777162

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