MACS

In the next questions you are asked about different ways you cope in difficult or stressful
situations. In life, stressful situations occur every now and then. Try to think of a situation in
your life that was really stressful to you (it can be something that has happened in your
family, at school, your friendships or relations with other people, your health, or just
anything), and then circle a number below to show how often you have used each of the
following ways to cope with this stressful situation.

Please make sure you answer ALL QUESTIONS, but only circle ONE NUMBER for
EACH QUESTION.

I did I used I used I used

not use sometimes quite a almost
bit all the
time
1 I tried to look after my health by eating
food that was good for me. 0 1 2 3

2 I talked to someone to find out more

0 1 2 3
about the situation.
3 I yelled or screamed at other people
0 1 2 3
who were not involved in the situation.
4 I tried to eat regularly. 0 1 2 3
5 I had angry thoughts about myself. 0 1 2 3
6 I talked with someone. 0 1 2 3
7 I thought of the problem all the time. 0 1 2 3
8 I let people know what I needed. 0 1 2 3
9 I went on as if nothing had happened. 0 1 2 3
10 I tried to harm myself. 0 1 2 3
11 I tried to believe positive or good things 0 1 2 3
about myself.
12 I drew on my religious faith. 0 1 2 3
13 I tried to take my mind off the situation
(e.g., watched TV, read, played 0 1 2 3
computer games etc.)
14 I tried to be or stay happy. 0 1 2 3
15 I made a plan of action and followed it
0 1 2 3
through.
16 I yelled or screamed at people who 0 1 2 3
were involved in the situation.

Copyright © Sigrun Sveinbjornsdottir / Sigrún Sveinbjörnsdóttir

 I did I used I used I used
not use sometimes quite a almost
bit all the
time
17 I tried to see the funny side of things. 0 1 2 3
18 I had negative thoughts about myself. 0 1 2 3
19 I talked to someone who could act in
some way to change the situation. 0 1 2 3

20 I tried to release my anger by

0 1 2 3
exercising.
21 I tried to look after myself by getting
0 1 2 3
plenty of sleep.
22 I tried to make myself feel better by
drinking alcohol, smoking, using drugs 0 1 2 3
or medications.
23 I tried to harm other people. 0 1 2 3
24 I made a decision not to think too much
0 1 2 3
about it.
25 I asked for ideas from a friend whom I
0 1 2 3
could trust.
26 I took my anger out on things (e.g. the
0 1 2 3
wall, pillow, graffiti).
27 I tried not to be up tight. 0 1 2 3
28 I made myself not worry about the
0 1 2 3
situation.
29 I tried to be physically fit. 0 1 2 3
30 I made a great effort to make things
0 1 2 3
work.
31 I cried. 0 1 2 3
32 I made a promise to myself that the
situation would change next time. 0 1 2 3

33 I wished that the situation would go

0 1 2 3
away.
34 I spent time with someone I wanted to be 0 1 2 3
with.

Copyright © Sigrun Sveinbjornsdottir / Sigrún Sveinbjörnsdóttir

Would you like to make any comments about issues raised by these questions?

Copyright © Sigrun Sveinbjornsdottir / Sigrún Sveinbjörnsdóttir

 Cite as

Sveinbjornsdottir, S., Thorsteinsson, E. B., & Lingam, G. I. (2017). Model fit and
comparisons for the Measure of Adolescent Coping Strategies (MACS): Fiji, Iceland, and
Australia. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 11, e12. doi:10.1017/prp.2017.20

Sveinbjornsdottir, S., & Thorsteinsson, E. B. (2014). Psychometric properties of the

Measure of Adolescent Coping Strategies (MACS). Psychology, 5, 142-147.
doi:10.4236/psych.2014.52022

Scoring MACS (34 items)

Five scales, no revers score items.
Stoicism (some articles refer to this scale as distraction) items: 9, 11, 13, 14,
17, 24, 27, and 28.
Acting out items: 3, 10, 16, 22, 23, and 26.
Rumination items: 5, 7, 18, 31, 32, and 33.
Seeking social support items: 2, 6, 8, 19, 25, 30, and 34.
Self-care items: 1, 4, 12, 15, 20, 21, and 29.

COMPUTE sto_m = mean.5(MACS09,MACS11,MACS13,MACS14,MACS17,MACS24,MACS27,MACS28).

COMPUTE act_m = mean.3(MACS03,MACS10,MACS16,MACS22,MACS23,MACS26).
COMPUTE rum_m = mean.3(MACS05,MACS07,MACS18,MACS31,MACS32,MACS33).
COMPUTE sos_m = mean.4(MACS02,MACS06,MACS08,MACS19,MACS25,MACS30,MACS34).
COMPUTE sel_m = mean.4(MACS01,MACS04,MACS12,MACS15,MACS20,MACS21,MACS29).
EXECUTE.

.***********************************************************.
.*** Code to get Cronbach‘s alpa ***.
.***********************************************************.

RELIABILITY
/VARIABLES=MACS09 MACS11 MACS13 MACS14 MACS17 MACS24 MACS27 MACS28
/SCALE('STOISISM') ALL
/MODEL=ALPHA
/STATISTICS=DESCRIPTIVE SCALE
/SUMMARY=TOTAL.
RELIABILITY
/VARIALES=MACS03 MACS10 MACS16 MACS22 MACS23 MACS26
/SCALE('ACTING OUT') ALL
/MODEL=ALPHA
/STATISTICS=DESCRIPTIVE SCALE
/SUMMARY=TOTAL.
RELIABILITY
/VARIABLES=MACS05 MACS07 MACS18 MACS31 MACS32 MACS33
/SCALE('RUMINATION') ALL
/MODEL=ALPHA
/STATISTICS=DESCRIPTIVE SCALE
/SUMMARY=TOTAL.
RELIABILITY
/VARIABLES=MACS02 MACS06 MACS08 MACS19 MACS25 MACS30 MACS34
/SCALE('SEEKING SOCIAL SUPPORT') ALL
/MODEL=ALPHA
/STATISTICS=DESCRIPTIVE SCALE
/SUMMARY=TOTAL.
RELIABILITY
/VARIABLES=MACS01 MACS04 MACS12 MACS15 MACS20 MACS21 MACS29
/SCALE('SELF CARE') ALL
/MODEL=ALPHA
/STATISTICS=DESCRIPTIVE SCALE
/SUMMARY=TOTAL.

Copyright © Sigrun Sveinbjornsdottir / Sigrún Sveinbjörnsdóttir