CHIP

Coping with Health Injuries and Problems

Examines four coping styles that people

typically use in response to health problems

32 items

Self-Report

Ages 16 and older

5-10 minutes administration time

B Level User Qualification

1992, 2000 MHS Inc.

Aim
Stress, anxiety, and coping are part of everyones everyday
life. Coping strategies play an important mediating role
between stress and both health and illness. By using the CHIP
to identify a patients typical coping strategies, you can sug-
gest alternative coping strategies that will help patients to
cope best with and overcome their health problems.
The CHIP was designed to address the methodological and
psychometric limitations that are associated with the use of
existing coping measures. It can be administered over the
course of a specific health problem to help determine the
coping strategies used at different times in the development
and/or treatment of the problem. The CHIP has been used
effectively with patients having chronic pain, sports injuries,
cancer, asthma, diabetes, and cardiac problems, as well as
with psychiatric patients.
User Qualification
The CHIP may be easily administered and scored by coun-
selors, nurses, physicians, psychologists, social workers, and
other trained professionals and paraprofessionals. A profes-
sional with advanced training in psychological assessment and
related disciplines that adhere to relevant professional stan-
dards must assume responsibility for the use, interpretation and
communication of results. B level qualifications require that, as
a minimum, the user has completed courses in tests and mea-
surement at a university or has received equivalent docu-
mented training.
Norming
Suitable for use with adults of all ages who are experiencing a
wide range of health problems, the CHIP includes separate
norms for men and women in three different age groups:
Age Group Males Females Total
18 to 29 years 439 605 1044
30 to 49 years 391 611 1002
50 years or older 115 197 312
Total 945 1413 2358
Normative data for the scales that appear on the forms come
from a large community-based sample of adults collected
from various English speaking locations in North America. This
data as well as age and gender effects are described in
greater detail in the CHIP Manual.
Norman S. Endler, Ph.D., F.R.S.C.,
James D. A. Parker, Ph.D.
Instrument
Respondents are asked to rate each of the 32 items on a five-
point Likert-type scale ranging from (1) Not at all to (5) Very
much. The multidimensional approach to the assessment of
coping with health injuries and problems permits great preci-
sion in predicting preferred coping strategies with respect to ill-
ness. It also allows for a great understanding of a persons pat-
tern of coping reactions, and an understanding of the different
relationships between coping strategies and both other per-
sonality variables and specific illnesses. Eight items assess each
of the following CHIP scales:
Distraction: the extent to which the respondent uses
actions and cognition that are aimed at avoiding pre-
occupation with the health problem.
Palliative: the various self-help responses used to allevi-
ate the unpleasantness of the situation.
Instrumental: various task-oriented strategies used to
deal with the illness.
Emotional Preoccupation: the extent to which the indi-
vidual focuses on the emotional consequences of the
health problem (Emotion-Oriented coping)
In cases where respondents may have misunderstood the
instructions, or were responding in a careless or random fash-
ion, the CHIP also contains an Inconsistency Index that mea-
sures the overall consistency of the responses.
Format
The CHIP is available in the MHS
QuikScore form. This paper-and-pen-
cil format is designed for easy record-
ing, scoring, and profiling of responses.
No scoring templates are necessary; the
respondents answers automatically
transfer through to the concealed scor-
ing page.
For computer-based and web-enabled
assessments, custom integration with
your enterprise database, or site licensing arrangements, CHIP
is incorporated into the MHS Professional Tool Suite, sophisticat-
ed software technology featuring SmartLink, a client man-
agement program. For details about the capabilities and con-
figuration possibilities of the MHS Professional Tool Suite, please
refer to the MHS Professional Tool Suite product brochure avail-
able from MHS.
 Coping with Health Injuries and Problems

Translations Supportive Literature

MHS has experience with developing accurate trans-
International
lations of assessments published by MHS as well as by
other publishers, utilizing our worldwide network of
over 400 qualified translators with backgrounds in psychology
and medicine. Many of our products are available in a variety
of languages. For information about the availability of the CHIP
in other languages, please contact the MHS Translations
Department.
Scientific Validation
The CHIP was developed following rigorous test-development
procedures. The manuals coverage spans a presentation of
the background and theoretical concepts upon which the
CHIP is based and offers a series of seven case studies as con-
crete examples of the CHIPs applicability in clinical and
research settings. Detailed data are presented, including:
How the CHIP scales show desirable levels of statistical
accuracy in measuring the constructs they were devel-
oped to measure.
An examination of the multidimensional scale structure
of the CHIP to demonstrate its appropriateness and
empirical and theoretical basis.
An examination of the construct validity of the CHIP by
comparing scores on this scale with two measures of
general coping style:
- A total of 125 men and 167 women completed the
CHIP and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations
(CISS; Endler & Parker, 1990a, 1999); and
- A sample of 76 men and 110 women completed the
CHIP and the Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI;
Amirkhan, 1990).
Endler, Parker, and Summerfeldt (1992) examined the relation-
ship between the CHIP and basic personality dimensions
assessed by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ;
Eysenck & Eysenck, 1975), specifically the Neuroticism,
Extraversion, and Psychoticism scales. As expected, moderate
correlation was found between the CHIP Emotional
Preoccupation scale and the EPQ Neuroticism scale in both
men and women. The EPQ Extraversion scale was found to be
positively associated with the CHIP Distraction scale in women
only. The EPQ Psychoticism scale was found to be negatively
associated with the CHIP Instrumental scale for women only.
In 1998, these same authors conducted a series of additional
studies using the CHIP. Their findings were consistent with
research that has found individuals with chronic health prob-
lems to be more susceptible to emotional problems related to
depression, anger, and anxiety.
Summerfeldt and Endler (1998) also examined the relationship
between the CHIP scales and the CISS scales in a sample of 42
individuals (29 women and 13 men) seeking treatment at a
pain clinic. The specialized treatment offered by the clinic was
nerve blocks, a common treatment for chronic headache
and neck pain. The results indicate these two instruments mea-
sure similar but distinct constructs.
Endler, Courbasson, and Fillion (1998), using 50 men with prostate
cancer and 110 women with breast cancer examined the sta-
bility of the CHIP. Respondents were administered the CHIP
twice with an interval of two weeks between administrations.
Complete test-retest correlation is reported in the manual; in
general, reliabilities for the various CHIP scales were excellent for
men and women.

An examination of the criterion validity of the CHIP which

compares the coping behaviors of adults with chronic
and acute health problems. The most common types of
chronic problems were diabetes, cancer, and arthritis;
the most common types of acute problems were respi-
ratory infections, fractures or injuries, and short-term gas-
trointestinal problems. The results are consistent with
research that has found individuals with chronic health
problems to be more susceptible to emotional problems
related to depression, anger, and anxiety (for reviews,
see Taylor, 1990, 1999). Higher levels of Instrumental cop-
ing were also reported for patients in the chronic group,
as was expected.
Complements for the CHIP
Carroll Depression ScalesRevised (CDSR)
Childrens Depression Inventory (CDI)
Computerized Lifestyle Assessment (CLA)
Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS)
Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS)
Health Dynamics Inventory (HDI)
HELP-Self-Regard for Windows
HELP-Stress for Windows
HELP-Think for Windows
Illness Effects QuestionnaireMulti-Perspective (IEQMP)
Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ)
Rehabilitation Checklist (RCL)
Rehabilitation Education and Coping Series
Rehabilitation Survey of Problems and Coping (RSOPAC)
Social Adjustment ScaleSelf-Report (SASSR)
Symptom Assessment45 Questionnaire (SA45)

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HC 01 04 Printed in Canada