Brief COPE
14 coping strategies — which ones you lean on when stress hits
How do you typically cope when stress hits? The Brief COPE assesses 14 distinct coping strategies — from active coping to denial, from seeking support to self-blame. 28 items, about 10 minutes.
How Do You Handle Stress?
Everyone copes differently. Some people dive into work. Some call a friend. Some pretend nothing happened and hope it goes away. The Brief COPE maps your tendency across 14 distinct coping strategies -- from active coping and planning to denial, self-distraction, and substance use.
The Brief COPE is a 28-item shortened version of the full COPE inventory Carver published in 1997. It has 2 items per subscale — fast, but preserves the three-part structure: problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, and avoidant coping. Each strategy gets its own score, so you can see which approaches you lean on most.
Knowing your coping patterns isn't about labeling yourself. It's about noticing which strategies actually help and which ones feel good in the moment but don't solve the underlying issue.
Note: This assessment is for educational and research use only. It is not a clinical diagnostic tool.
Reference
Carver, C. S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocol's too long: Consider the Brief COPE. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4(1), 92-100.
Result Interpretation
Finish the 28 questions and you get your results straight away — no account, no sign-up, no waiting.
We calculate your total from your answers, then give you a plain-language explanation of what the numbers mean. Where a test has sub-scales, each dimension gets its own score. Whenever possible, we also show how your results compare to population norms.
详细报告 📊
Get an in-depth analysis with dimension breakdowns, population comparisons, and actionable recommendations.