2.2.4. Brief COPE (COPE) Inventory

The Brief COPE is a 28-item questionnaire with a four-point scale (1–4). This scale allows the assessment of different coping strategies or regulating cognitions in response to stressful events [38,39]. The scale evaluates individuals’ primary coping styles and is composed of two main factors (i.e., avoidant and approach coping) and two independent subscales (i.e., humor and religion). It was administered during the first and follow-up sessions. Higher scores indicate an increased utilization of that specific coping strategy. The Cronbach’s alpha for the total scale was adequate, because all values exceeded the minimum value of 0.60 (i.e., avoidant: 0.78, approach: 0.67, humor: 0.64, and religion: 0.85).