Development and validation of a scale of coping strategies for potential victimization
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29059/rpcc.20260601-204Keywords:
coping strategies, fear of crime, victimization prevention, psychometrics, urban safety, community coping.Abstract
Most existing lists of crime prevention behaviors lack theoretical grounding and psychometric validation. Based on coping theories, a 103-item scale was developed, reviewed by expert judges and responded by two non-probabilistic samples from Mexico City: the first (N = 515, 54.2% women, 45.8% men, age: M = 33.47) for an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and the second (N = 377, 68.2% women, 30.2% men, 1.6% other, age: M = 27.08, SD = 10.73) for a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The EFA identified six factors (religious coping, communal coping, cautious prevention, help-seeking, protection of loved ones, and avoidant prevention) explaining 67.7% of variance. The CFA confirmed this structure with excellent fit (CFI = .97, TLI = .96, RMSEA = .043). The instrument showed strong internal consistency (omega = .91), composite reliability (>= .80), convergent (AVE >= .52) and discriminant validity (AVE > MSV). In conclusion, the scale has solid psychometric properties for assessing victimization prevention strategies in Mexican population.
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