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Coping Strategies Inventory (CSI)

Coping Strategies Inventory (CSI) Test

See how you handle stress in about 7 minutes, whether you problem solve, seek support, or avoid. Get quick, actionable insight for counseling, coaching, teams, and future planning in 33 items.

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Questions: 337 minutes

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08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

29,925 views

2,605 completions

2,089 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

6/33

Problem-Solving Strategy (PSS)

Measures the tendency to cope with stress by analyzing problems and taking concrete actions to resolve them.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 16: Low | 17 – 21: Moderate | 22 – 33: High

A score of 6 falls in the Low range, suggesting a relatively infrequent use of active problem-solving when dealing with stress.

example score

16/33

Social Support Seeking (SSS)

Measures the tendency to seek help, advice, or emotional support from others when under stress.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 13: Low | 14 – 18: Moderate | 19 – 33: High

A score of 16 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a balanced use of social support—seeking help at times while also coping independently in other situations.

example score

15/33

Avoidance Strategy (AS)

Measures the tendency to cope with stress by avoiding, distracting from, or ignoring problems rather than addressing them directly.

Low avoidance

Moderate avoidance

High avoidance

0 – 15: Low avoidance | 16 – 26: Moderate avoidance | 27 – 33: High avoidance

A score of 15 falls in the Low avoidance range, suggesting avoidance is used relatively infrequently compared with other coping strategies.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Stressed students and learners

38%OF USERS

People juggling exams, deadlines, and uncertainty take it to see whether they cope by problem-solving, seeking support, or avoiding stress.

Burned-out professionals

34%OF USERS

Working adults under heavy workload or conflict use it to understand their default stress response and what to strengthen for resilience.

Coaches and therapists

28%OF USERS

Practitioners give it to clients to quickly map coping patterns and choose more effective support and behavior strategies.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Problem-Solving Strategy (PS)

Average

18.4

Normal range

12.7 — 24

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Strategy for Seeking Social Support (SfSSS)

Average

21.8

Normal range

17.6 — 26.1

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Avoidance Strategy (AS)

Average

13.2

Normal range

8.3 — 18.2

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire measure?

It measures preferred ways of responding to stress and difficult situations. It summarizes coping in three areas: problem solving, seeking social support, and avoidance.

How is it completed?

A series of statements is presented, and the respondent selects the options that best match typical behavior. Responses should reflect what is usually done rather than what seems ideal.

How long does it take and how many items are included?

It includes 33 items and typically takes about 7 minutes to complete.

What do the three strategy scores mean?

Problem solving reflects efforts to take direct action to address the stressor, social support reflects seeking help or advice, and avoidance reflects disengaging or trying not to think about the problem. Higher scores indicate more frequent use of that strategy.

How should results be interpreted and used?

Results describe coping preferences and can support case formulation, coaching goals, or research summaries. They do not diagnose mental disorders and should be interpreted in context with other information.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Coping Strategies Inventory (CSI) Test - Symptoms and Signs

coping behavior

This self-report measure evaluates how an individual typically responds when faced with stress. The Coping Strategies Inventory (CSI) is commonly used to characterize preferred coping approaches in clinically relevant situations. It was developed by James H. Amirkhan.

The instrument consists of 33 items and typically requires about 7 minutes to complete. Respondents endorse statements that best reflect their usual behavior, yielding profiles across three broad coping domains: problem solving, seeking social support, and avoidance.

Results from the Coping Strategies Inventory (CSI) can help clinicians and researchers describe dominant coping patterns, inform case conceptualization, and support treatment planning or outcome monitoring when interpreted alongside other assessment data and clinical context.

Author: James H. Amirkhan

Literature: Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer. 1984.; Hinde, R. A. Interpersonal relationships. Routledge. 1997.; Amirkhan, J. H. A factor analytically derived measure of coping: The Coping Strategy Indicator. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1990.

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