Psychometric properties of the coping with pre-exam anxiety and uncertainty scale in chilean university students
Date Issued
2021
Author(s)
Guerra Diaz, Felipe
Jorquera Gutierrez, Ricardo Alex
Abstract
The present instrumental study aimed to describe the psychometric properties of the Coping with Pre-Exam Anxiety and Uncertainty Scale (COPEAU-A) in Chilean university students. 230 first-year students from a university in the north of Chile participated, where 67,4% were women and 32.6% men, with an average age of 18,9 years. By confirmatory factor analysis, using a robust weighted least squares method (WLSMV), five models were compared, finding the best fit indicators in the composite of four oblique factors with 20 items (X2=228,795, gl=164, p<,01; X2/gl=1,395; TLI=,929; CFI=,939; RMSEA=,042). The reliability of the four factors was adequate, showing McDonald's Omega coefficients between omega=,716 and omega=,873. In turn, the results showed the factorial invariance of the instrument according to sex. It is concluded that the psychometric properties of COPEAU-A would support its use to evaluate coping strategies in the face of anxiety and pre-exam uncertainty in Chilean university students who are beginning their academic careers.


