Psychometric properties and validity of dyadic coping inventory-Urdu version for use in Pakistan

For married individuals living in Pakistan, stress within their relationship has emerged as a major source of marital conflicts and even relationship dissolution. However, research based on the systemic transactional model of dyadic coping (DC) suggests partners’ use of coping strategies may help in buffering these devastating effects of stress. The original German version of the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI) is a widely used self-report measure that has been translated in various languages, however, has not been validated for use with individuals living in Pakistan who speak Urdu. The purpose of the present study was to translate and validate the DCI into Urdu for use with married individuals living in Pakistan. Data were collected from 538 Pakistani married adults. Findings supported the original factor structure of the German and English version of the DCI. As such, results supported the 33-items DCI-Urdu as a valid and reliable measure to assess DC behaviors in Pakistani married individuals. Further, convergent and discriminant validity and measurement invariance (MI) across gender for the DCI-Urdu were consistent with that of DCI-English. A validated measure of the DCI in Urdu provides new directions for researchers and clinicians working with couples in Pakistan.