Factor structure of religious problem - coping styles in an African sample

The aim of the study was to determine the factor structure of the Religious Problem-Solving Scale in an African population. The sample included 624 students: 314 Grade 12, secondary school students and 310 third year social science university students in South Africa. The principal component analysis with varimax rotation yielded three components accounting for 64% of the total variance. The first factor contained 12 items from the Deferring scale, the second 12 items of the Self-Directing scale and the third factor 12 items from the Collaborative scale. The Deferring rather than the Collaborative religious problem-solving style seems to be more prevalent in this African sample than among western subjects.