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The Self-Control and Self-Management Scale (SCMS): Development of an Adaptive Self-Regulatory Coping Skills Instrument

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Abstract

Self-control and self-management skills (SCMSk) represent a cognitive-behavioral coping skills model that has been successfully applied to assessment and treatment. Nevertheless, no general adult self-report instrument has been developed to measure this important construct. The 16-item Self-Control and Self-Management Scale (SCMS) was developed as a new adult self-report instrument designed to be a general trait measure of SCMSk. In Study 1, the item pool was generated and revised based on the current literature and feedback from content validity experts. In Study 2, based on responses from a multiethnic student sample (n = 302), factor analytic procedures and rational item selection were used to produce a reliable and construct valid instrument. The findings of both studies support the further evaluation of the SCMS as a research and applied instrument, and suggest its potential current use in student and counseling settings given obtained relationships with anxiety, depression, and weight-management competencies.

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Acknowledgments

This work was made possible due to the expert contributions of the three content validity judges: Elaine M. Heiby, University of Hawaii at Manoa; Lynn P. Rehm, University of Houston; and Paul D. Rokke, North Dakota State University. Responsibility for the final product is retained by the author.

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Correspondence to Peter G. Mezo.

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Mezo, P.G. The Self-Control and Self-Management Scale (SCMS): Development of an Adaptive Self-Regulatory Coping Skills Instrument. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 31, 83–93 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-008-9104-2

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