Spanish Translations

A sizable segment of our recent work investigates stress and coping issues in applied
populations. Some substantial portion of our target population does not have good
facility with the English language. Consequently, we have translated several of our
most frequently used measures into Spanish. The measures we translated were all
measures we are interested in ourselves; thus the process has been rather selective. The
translations (and back translations) were collaborations of native Spanish speakers from
several different countries and cultures, thereby creating as neutral a Spanish as we
could manage to create.
The translation process and information on the comparability of the translated
instruments are reported in this article:
Perczek, R., Carver, C. S., Price, A. A., & Pozo-Kaderman, C. (2000). Coping, mood,
and aspects of personality in Spanish translation and evidence of convergence with
English versions. Journal of Personality Assessment, 74, 63-87. [abstract]
Following are the English versions of the measures we translated (for ease in
comparison), followed by the Spanish versions. For more information on scoring of
English versions, see separate pages on the various measures.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Brief COPE
Following are some ways of coping with difficult situations. Think of a difficult
situation you had to face during the past year. We want to know how you coped with
that difficult situation.
1 = I didnt do this at all
2 = I did this a little bit
3 = I did this a medium amount
4 = I did this a lot
1. I turned to work or other activities to take my mind off things.
2. I concentrated my efforts on doing something about the situation Im in.
3. I said to myself "this isnt real.".
4. I used alcohol or other drugs to make myself feel better.
5. I got emotional support from others.
6. I gave up trying to deal with it.
7. I took action to try to make the situation better.
8. I refused to believe that it has happened.
9. I said things to let my unpleasant feelings escape.
10. I used alcohol or other drugs to help me get through it.
11. I tried to see it in a different light, to make it seem more positive.
12. I tried to come up with a strategy about what to do.
13. I got comfort and understanding from someone.
14. I gave up the attempt to cope.

15. I looked for something good in what is happening.

16. I made jokes about it.
17. I did something to think about it less, such as going to movies, watching TV,
reading, daydreaming, sleeping, or shopping.
18. I accepted the reality of the fact that it has happened.
19. I expressed my negative feelings.
20. I tried to find comfort in my religion or spiritual beliefs.
21. I learned to live with it.
22. I thought hard about what steps to take.
23. I prayed or meditated.
24. I made fun of the situation.
Brief COPE (Spanish)
Las siguientes son algunas maneras of enfrentarse y adaptarse a situaciones dificiles.
Piense en una sitacin dificil que Usted tuvo que enfrentar en el ao pasado. Estamos
interesados en saber como Usted se enfrent y adapt a esa situacin dificil.
1 = No hice esto en lo absoluto
2 = Hice esto un poco
3 = Hice esto con cierta frecuencia
4 = Hice esto con mucha frecuencia
1. Yo me enfoqu en el trabajo u otras actividades para distraer mi mente.
2. Yo concentr mis esfuerzos para hacer algo acerca de la situacin en la que estaba.
3. Yo me dije a mi mismo(a), esto no es real.
4. Yo us alcohol u otras drogas para sentirme mejor.
5. Yo recib apoyo emocional de otras personas.
6. Yo me di por vencido(a) de tratar de lidiar con esto.
7. Yo tom accin para poder mejorar la situacin.
8. Yo rehus creer que esto hubiera pasado.
9. Yo dije cosas para dejar escapar mis sentimientos desagradables.
10. Yo us alcohol u otras drogas para que me ayudaran a pasar por esto.
11. Yo trat de verlo con un enfoque distinto para que pareciera mas positivo.
12. Yo trat de crear una estrategia para saber que hacer.
13. Yo recib apoyo y comprensin de alguien.
14. Yo dej de hacerle frente a la situacin en la que estaba.
15. Yo busqu algo bueno en lo que estaba pasando.
16. Yo hice bromas acerca de esto.
17. Yo hice algo para pensar menos en esto, como ir al cine, ver T.V., leer, soar
despierto(a), dormir, o ir de compras.
18. Yo acept la realidad de que esto haya pasado.
19. Yo expres mis pensamientos negativos.
20. Yo trat de encontrar apoyo en mi religin o mis creencias espirituales.
21. Yo aprend a vivir con esto.
22. Yo pens mucho cuales eran los pasos a tomar.
23. Yo rec o medit.
24. Yo hice gracia de la situacin.

-------------------------------------------------------LOT-R
The following items concern how you see life in general. For each item indicate
whether you agree or disagree. There are no "correct" or "incorrect" answers; we only
want to know your opinion.
5 = I agree a lot
4 = I agree a little
3 = I neither agree nor disagree
2 = I DISagree
1 = I DISagree a lot
1. In uncertain times, I usually expect the best.
2. Its easy for me to relax.
3. If something can go wrong for me, it will.
4. I am always optimistic about my future.
5. I enjoy my friends a lot.
6. I hardly expect things to go my way.
7. Its important to me to keep busy.
8. I rarely count on good things happening to me.
9. Overall, I expect more good things to happen to me than bad.
Note: items 2, 5, and 7 are fillers and are not used in scoring.
LOT-R (Spanish)
Las siguientes preguntas se refieren a como Usted ve la vida en general. Despus de
cada pregunta, diganos, si Usted est de acuerdo o en desacuerdo. No hay respuestas
correctas o incorrectassolo nos interesa su opinin.
5 = Estoy de acuerdo completamente
4 = Estoy de acuerdo parcialmente
3 = No estoy ni de acuerdo ni en desacuerdo
2 = Estoy parcialmente en desacuerdo
1 = Estoy completamente en desacuerdo
1. En tiempos de incertidumbre, generalmente pienso que me va a ocurrir lo mejor.
2. Me es facil relajarme.
3. Si algo malo me puede pasar, estoy segura(o) que me pasar.
4. Siempre soy optimista en cuanto al futuro.
5. Yo disfruto de mis amistades.
6. Rara vez espero que las cosas salgan a mi manera.
7. Para mi, es importante estar siempre ocupada(o).
8. No espero que cosas buenas me sucedan.
9. En general, yo pienso que mas cosas buenas que malas me van a suceder.
Note: items 2, 5, and 7 are fillers and are not used in scoring.

----------------------------------------------------------------MBA
The next items ask for some opinions with respect to your body. For each item indicate
whether you agree or disagree. There are no "right" or "wrong" answerswe only want
to know your opinion.
4 = I agree a lot
3 = I agree a little
2 = I DISagree a little
1 = I DISagree a lot
1. Its important to me to look my best all the time.
2. When something goes wrong inside your body, you are never really the same person
again.
3. If a woman doesnt look good to others, she cant possibly feel good about herself.
4. The idea of having surgery bothers me because it means doing damage to my body.
5. I feel good about myself only if I know I look good to other people.
6. A scar from an operation, even one that doesnt show, is a constant reminder to
yourself that something was wrong with you.
7. I have to look as good as I can to others in order to feel right about myself.
8. Completely apart from the pain, Id have trouble giving myself an injection because
it would mean forcing a needle into an undamaged part of my body.

MBA (Spanish)
Las siguientes preguntas son con respecto a su cuerpo. Despus de cada pregunta,
diganos si Usted est de acuerdo o en desacuerdo. No hay respuestas correctas o
incorrectaslo que interesa es su opinn.
1 = Estoy de acuerdo - completamente
2 = Estoy de acuerdo - parcialmente
3 = Estoy en desacuerdo - parcialmente
4 = Estoy en desacuerdo - completamente
1. Para mi es importante lucir lo mejor posible en todo momento.
2. Cuando algo anda mal dentro de tu cuerpo, tu nunca vuelves a ser la misma persona
de antes.
3. Si una mujer/hombre no luce bien frente a otras personas, no es posible que ella/el se
sienta bien consigo misma(o).
4. La idea de tener una operacin me molesta porque significa hacerle dao a mi
cuerpo.
5. Yo me siento bin conmigo misma(o) solamente si se que me veo bin frente a
otros(as).
6. Una cicatriz de una operacin, aunque sea una que no se ve, es un recuerdo constante
de que algo estaba mal conmigo.
7. Yo tengo que verme lo mejor que pueda frente a ostros(as), para poderme sentir bin

conmigo misma(o).
8. Completamente fuera del dolor, yo tendra problemas de injectarme a mi misma(o),
porque significara forzar una aguja en una parte de mi cuerpo que no ha sido daada.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Emotional Distress (as used in Carver et al., JPSP, 1993)

Note: The items below are a set of mood-descriptive adjectives that are included in a
number of measures of mood states. Previous articles, including the Perczek et al.
article that presented the translations of these various measures into Spanish,
erroneously conveyed the impression that this is an "authorized abbreviated version" of
the Profile of Mood States. It is not. For information concerning the Profile of Mood
States, contact EdITS, P. O. Box 7234, San Diego, CA 92167.

Following is a list of feelings. For each word, choose the answer that best describes
how much you have experienced that feeling during the past week including today.
The response options are:
1 = Not at all
2 = A little
3 = Moderately
4 = Quite a bit
5 = Extremely
1. Tense
2. Helpless
3. Angry
4. Lively
5. Unable to concentrate
6. Nervous
7. Worn out
8. Unhappy
9. Cheerful
10. Resentful
11. Active
12. Anxious
13. Exhausted
14. Worthless
15. Grouchy
16. Energetic
17. Forgetful
18. Hopeless

Emotional Distress (Spanish)

Ahora le vamos a dar una lista de emociones. Por cada palabra por favor diganos con
que frecuencia Usted se ha sentido de esta manera en la pasada semana.
1 = nunca
2 = un poco
3 = a menudo
4 = muchas veces
5 = muchsimo
1. Tensa/tenso
2. Incapaz
3. Enojada/enojado
4. Vivaz
5. Dificultad al concentrarme
6. Nerviosa/nervioso
7. Gastada/gastado
8. Triste
9. Alegre
10. Resentida/resentido
11. Activa/activo
12. Ansiosa/ansioso
13. Agotada/agotado
14. Intil
15. Malhumorada/malhumorado
16. Con energa
17. Olvidadiza/olvidadizo
28. Sin esperanza
-----------------------------------------------------------CES-D
The following is a list of the ways you might have felt or behaved over the past week.
Tell us how often you have felt this way during the past week. Use these response
choices:
0 = Rarely or none of the time (less than 1 day)
1 = Some or a little of the time (1-2 days)
2 = Occasionally or moderate amount of time (3-4 days)
3 = Most or all of the time (5-7 days)
During the past week:
1. I was bothered by things that usually dont bother me.
2. I did not feel like eating; my appetite was poor.
3. I felt that I could not shake off the sad feelings even with help from my family or
friends.
4. I felt that I was just as good as other people.
5. I had trouble keeping my mind on what I was doing.
6. I felt depressed.

7. I felt that everything I did was an effort.

8. I felt hopeful about the future.
9. I thought my life had been a failure.
10. I felt fearful.
11. My sleep was restless.
12. I was happy.
13. I talked less than usual.
14. I felt lonely.
15. People were unfriendly.
16. I enjoyed life.
17. I had crying spells.
18. I felt sad.
19. I felt that people dislike me.
20. I could not get "going."
CES-D (Spanish)
Las siguientes frases indican distintas maneras de sentirse. Por favor indique la
frecuencia con que Usted se ha sentido de estas maneras en la semana pasada. Las
respuestas posibles, son las siguientes:
0 = raramente o nunca (menos de un da)
1 = alguna o pocas veces (1-2 dias)
2 = ocacionalmente o una cantidad moderada (3-4 dias)
3 = la mayor parte o todo el tiempo (5-7 dias)
durante la semana pasada:
1. Me molestaron cosas que usualmente no me molestan
2. No me senta con ganas de comer - tena mal apetito
3. Me senta que no podia quitarme de encima la tristeza aun con la ayuda de mi familia
o amigos
4. Senta que yo era tan buena(o) como cualquier persona
5. Tena dificultad en mantener mi mente en lo que estaba haciendo
6. Me senta deprimida/deprimido
7. Senta que todo lo que hacia era un esfuerzo
8. Me senta optimista sobre el futuro
9. Pens que mi vida habia sido un fracaso
10. Me senta con miedo
11. Mi sueo era inquieto
12. Estaba contenta/contento
13. Habl menos de lo usual
14. Me sent sola/solo
15. La gente no era amistosa
16. Disfrut de la vida
17. Pas ratos llorando
18. Me sent triste
19. Senta que no le caa bien a la gente
20. No tena ganas de hacer nada

----------------------------------------------------------BIS/BAS
For the following items, indicate whether you agree or disagree. Please respond to each
item independently from every other item.
1 = very true for me
2 = somewhat true for me
3 = somewhat false for me
4 = very false for me
1. A person's family is the most important thing in life.
2. Even if something bad is about to happen to me, I rarely experience fear or
nervousness.
3. I go out of my way to get things I want.
4. When I'm doing well at something I love to keep at it.
5. Im always willing to try something new if I think it will be fun.
6. How I dress is important to me.
7. When I get something I want, I feel excited and energized.
8. Criticism or scolding hurts me quite a bit.
9. When I want something I usually go all-out to get it.
10. I will often do things for no other reason than that they might be fun.
11. Its hard for me to find the time to do things such as get a haircut.
12. If I see a chance to get something I want I move on it right away.
13. I feel pretty worried or upset when I think or know somebody is angry at me.
14. When I see an opportunity for something I like I get excited right away.
15. I often act on the spur of the moment.
16. If I think something unpleasant is going to happen I usually get pretty "worked up."
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

I often wonder why people act the way they do.

When good things happen to me, it affects me strongly.
I feel worried when I think I have done poorly at something important.
I crave excitement and new sensations.
When I go after something I use a "no holds barred" approach.
I have very few fears compared to my friends.
It would excite me to win a contest.
I worry about making mistakes.

BIS/BAS (Spanish)
En las siguientes preguntas, indique si Usted est de acuerdo o en desacuerdo. Por favor
responda cada pregunta independientemente una de la otra.
1 = es muy cierto en mi caso
2 = es un poco cierto en mi caso
3 = es un poco falso en mi caso
4 = es muy falso en mi caso

1. La familia de uno es lo mas importante de la vida

2. Ni siquiera cuando algo malo est por sucederme, yo siento miedo o nerviosismo
3. Yo hago lo imposible por conseguir lo que quiero
4. Cuando soy buena en algo que estoy haciendo, me gusta seguirlo haciendo
5. Siempre estoy dispuesto(a) a tratar algo nuevo si me parece que sera divertido
6. La manera en que yo me visto es muy importante para mi
7. Cuando consigo algo que quiero, me siento emocionado(a) y con energa
8. Las criticas o el regao me duelen bastante
9. Cuando quiero algo, casi siempre hago lo imposible para obtenerlo
10. Muchas veces hago las cosas simplemente por el hecho que seran divertidas en
hacer
11. Se me hace dificil encontrar el tiempo de hacer cosas, como cortarme el pelo
12. Si veo la oportunidad de conseguir algo que quiero, la aprovecho inmediatamente
13. Me preocupo y me siento mal cuando pienso o creo que alguien esta enojado(a)
conmigo
14. Cuando veo la oportunidad de algo que me gusta, me emociono inmediatamente
15. A veces, actuo impulsivamente
16. Si creo que algo desagradable va a suceder, casi siempre me desespero
17. A menudo pienso en la razn por la cual la gente actua de la manera que lo hacen
18. Me afecto profundamente cuando me suceden cosas buenas
19. Me siento intranquilo(a) cuando pienso que no he hecho un buen trabajo
20. Deseo estimulos y nuevas sensaciones.
21. Cuando estoy en busqueda de algo, para mi no existen barreras
22. En comparacin con mis amistades, tengo pocos miedos
23. Me emocionara ganar un concurso
24. Me preocupa cometer errores
http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/ccarver/sclspan.html

Brief COPE
The items below are an abbreviated version of the COPE Inventory. We have used it in
research with breast cancer patients, with a community sample recovering from
Hurricane Andrew, and with other samples as well. The citation for the article reporting
the development of the Brief COPE, which includes information about factor structure
and internal reliability from the hurricane sample is below. The Brief COPE has also
been translated into several other languages, which have been published separately by
other researchers (see below).
We created the shorter item set partly because earlier patient samples became impatient
at responding to the full instrument (both because of the length and redundancy of the
full instrument and because of the overall time burden of the assessment protocol). In
choosing which items to retain for this version (which has only 2 items per scale), we
were guided by strong loadings from previous factor analyses, and by item clarity and
meaningfulness to the patients in a previous study. In creating the reduced item set, we
also "tuned" some of the scales somewhat (largely because some of the original scales
had dual focuses) and omitted scales that had not appeared to be important among breast
cancer patients. In this way the positive reinterpretation and growth scale became
positive reframing (no growth); focus on and venting of emotions became venting
(focusing was too tied to the experiencing of the emotion, and we decided it was venting

we were really interested in); mental disengagement became self-distraction (with a

slight expansion of mentioned means of self-distraction). We also added one scale that
was not part of the original inventory--a 2-item measure of self-blame--because this
response has been important in some earlier work.
You are welcome to use all scales of the Brief COPE, or to choose selected scales for
use. Feel free as well to adapt the language for whatever time scale you are interested
in.
Citation: Carver, C. S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocols too
long: Consider the Brief COPE. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4, 92100. [abstract]
Following is the BRIEF COPE as we are now administering it, with the instructional
orientation for a presurgery interview (the first time the COPE is given in this particular
study). Please feel free to adapt the instructions as needed for your application.
Scales are computed as follows (with no reversals of coding):
Self-distraction, items 1 and 19
Active coping, items 2 and 7
Denial, items 3 and 8
Substance use, items 4 and 11
Use of emotional support, items 5 and 15
Use of instrumental support, items 10 and 23
Behavioral disengagement, items 6 and 16
Venting, items 9 and 21
Positive reframing, items 12 and 17
Planning, items 14 and 25
Humor, items 18 and 28
Acceptance, items 20 and 24
Religion, items 22 and 27
Self-blame, items 13 and 26
I have had many questions about combining scales into "problem focused" and
"emotion focused" aggregates, or into an "overall" coping index. I have never done that
in my own use of the scales. There is no such thing as an "overall" score on this
measure, and I recommend no particular way of generating a dominant coping style for
a give person. Please do NOT write to me asking for instructions to for "adaptive" and
"maladaptive" composites, because I do not have any such instructions. I generally look
at each scale separately to see what its relation is to other variables. An alternative is to
create second-order factors from among the scales (see the 1989 article) and using the
factors as predictors. If you decide to do that, I recommend that you use your own data
to determine the composition of the higher-order factors. Different samples exhibit
different patterns of relations.