<p><strong>OBJECTIVE: </strong>Spiritual and religious (S/R) coping is a relevant yet understudied domain of coping among caregivers of children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). The aims of this manuscript are to: 1) conduct the first psychometric evaluation of the Brief RCOPE in this population; 2) examine levels of and changes in S/R coping over time; and 3) explore the relationship between S/R coping trajectories and psychological functioning post-HCT.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>Caregivers (n=170) of children (ages ≤12 years, n=170) undergoing HCT completed the Brief RCOPE and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) pre- and at multiple time points post-HCT discharge. Factor structure, internal consistency, and validity were examined. Growth mixture models were used to identify subgroups with similar S/R coping trajectories, with group memberships added to mixture models to explore relationships between group membership and caregiver psychological functioning trajectories.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>The Brief RCOPE exhibited the previously-supported two factor structure and each subscale demonstrated strong internal consistency (α=.85 and .92). Validity was supported by significant correlations with BSI scores. There were distinct subgroups of caregivers with different patterns of positive (n=4 subgroups) and negative (n=3 subgroups) S/R coping, with negative coping subgroup membership predicting changes in psychological functioning.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>The Brief RCOPE is a promising measure for assessing S/R coping among caregivers of children undergoing HCT and has the potential to identify caregivers at risk for poorer long-term psychological functioning. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.</p>