Introduction

Coping is characterized by the combination of cognitive and behavioral strategies used by individuals to control internal and external demands; when such strategies are not used assertively, they predispose the individual to illness. This study sought to conduct a systematic review of the instruments to evaluate coping strategies adapted to the Brazilian context.

Materials and Methods

Systematic literature review carried out on the EBSCO, MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, during the period from 2002 to 2017.

Results

The review found 305 articles (Portuguese, Spanish, and English), 33 articles fulfilled eligibility criteria and 11 articles were included dealing with validated instruments that evaluate coping strategies; with these instruments being: Scale on the Mode of Coping with Problems and Inventory of Coping Strategies.

Discussion

The instruments comprised transcultural adaptations, psychometric style, and self-application. In general, the instruments presented good validity and reliability evidence. The validity and internal consistency (reliability) properties of the instruments were considered satisfactory.

Conclusions

It is expected that this work will encourage progress in the search for tools to evaluate coping strategies and that it will provide aids in the planning of more assertive interventions to help individuals in coping with conflicting situations, minimizing the impact of illness.

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