Religious Coping Index (RCI)
(Koenig, 1994; Koenig et al., 1992 ).
Variable
General religious coping (RC) is the extent to which a person uses religious beliefs and practices to cope with
stress ( Koenig et al., 1992 ). This particular variable is a global assessment of the degree to which a person relies
on their religious faith to adapt and adjust to life stressors (compared with more specific ways of measuring reli-
gion as a coping mechanism developed by Pargament et al., 1998, 2000 ).
Description
The RCI is a 3-item measure of overall religious coping. This measure needs to be interviewer administered,
since one of the three items requires interaction with the participant (see below). Each item has a maximum score
of 10, and the total RCI score ranges from 0 to 30.
Sample
The RCI was developed in a medically ill sample of consecutively hospitalized male veterans aged 65 years or
older ( N5850) or aged 18 to 40 years ( N5161) in North Carolina ( Koenig, 1994 ). The majority of the sample
comprised Conservative Protestants (38%) and Black Protestants (25%).
Reliability
Internal Consistency
A Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.82 has been reported ( Koenig et al., 1992 ).
Test/C0Retest
When the RCI was re-administered to 188 adults on separate occasions 24 hours apart by different inter-
viewers with different religious backgrounds, the test /C0retest reliability correlation was found to be 0.81 ( Koenig
et al., 1992 ).
Validity
Convergent/Concurrent
The RCI correlates positively with measures of the importance of religion (0.84) ( Meisenhelder & Chandler,
2002).
Divergent/Discriminant
Negative correlations have been reported between RCI scores and negative mental health states such as
depressive symptoms (ranging from 20.14 to 20.16) ( Koenig et al., 1992 ).
Construct/Factor Analytic
Factor analysis is not applicable for this 3-item scale.
Criterion/Predictive
Scores on the RCI are only marginally predictive of older age (0.05), Black race (0.15), being married (0.06),
low rates of alcohol use ( 20.16), and are positively correlated with fundamentalist/evangelical affiliation (0.17)
and negatively correlated with no religious affiliation ( 20.15).
Location
Koenig, H.G., Cohen, H.J., Blazer, D.G., Pieper, C., & Meador, K.G., Shelp, F., Goli, V., & DiPasquale, R. (1992).
Religious coping and depression in elderly hospitalized medically ill men. American Journal of Psychiatry ,149(12) ,
1693/C01700.
Koenig, H.G. (1994). Aging and God (pp. 161 /C0187). Binghamton, NY: Haworth.538 19. MEASURES OF RELIGIOSITY
V. VICES AND VIRTUES