Exploring the Emotional Experiences and Coping Strategies of Sustainability Change Agents

Abstract Background and Objectives Advanced age is generally associated with improved emotional well-being, but the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed a global stressor that gravely threatened the physical well-being and ostensibly challenged the emotional well-being of older adults disproportionately. The current study investigated differences in emotional experiences and coping strategies between younger and older adults during the pandemic, and whether these differences were accounted for by age differences in appraisal of the pandemic. Research Design and Methods We asked younger (n = 181) and older adult (n = 176) participants to report their stress, appraisals the pandemic, emotions, and the ways in which they were coping with the pandemic. Results Results indicated that older adults experienced less stress and less negative affect and used greater problem-focused coping and less avoidant coping in response to the pandemic than younger adults. Further, age differences in affect and coping were partially accounted for by age differences in appraisals of the pandemic. Discussion and Implications Despite their objectively higher risk of illness and death due to the pandemic, older adults experienced less negative affect and used more agentic coping strategies than younger adults.

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Dignity under Extreme Duress

War and Health ◽

10.18574/nyu/9781479875962.003.0005 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 90-108

Author(s):

Patricia Omidian ◽

Catherine Panter-Brick

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Cultural Values ◽

Emotional Expression ◽

Humanitarian Aid ◽

Cultural Norms ◽

Internally Displaced Persons ◽

Emotional Experiences ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Internally Displaced ◽

And Coping

Pakistani workers who deliver humanitarian aid in the borderlands with Afghanistan live daily with the threat of targeted killings, kidnappings, and other violent attacks. However, their work also provides them with a sense of meaning and an opportunity to provide for their families. Based on interviews and group discussions with humanitarians employed by NGOs and the Pakistani government to channel health and education aid to refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in the conflict-ridden borderlands, this chapter explores workers’ motivations, emotional experiences, and coping strategies. Through psychological trainings based on the person-centered Focusing approach, humanitarians develop a sense of dignity informed by Sufi traditions, Islamic practices, and local cultural values. However, in an atmosphere of great uncertainty, violence, and gendered cultural norms restricting public emotional expression, maintaining a sense of dignity is an ongoing challenge.

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Residents’ Cognitive Appraisals, Emotions, and Coping Strategies at Local Dark Tourism Sites

Journal of Travel Research ◽

10.1177/00472875211004761 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 004728752110047

Author(s):

Evan J. Jordan ◽

Girish Prayag

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Cognitive Appraisals ◽

Well Being ◽

Emotional Experiences ◽

Dark Tourism ◽

Tourism Attractions ◽

And Coping ◽

Depth Interviews

While tourist emotions elicited at dark tourism sites are well understood, little is known about residents’ experiences at local dark tourism sites. This study explores residents’ emotional experiences at dark tourism sites, the cognitive appraisals of their experiences and emotions, and the coping strategies they deploy to address them. In-depth interviews with 37 residents of Christchurch, New Zealand (site of the Canterbury earthquakes), reveal that residents cognitively appraised their experience at local dark tourism sites on important facets such as centrality and controllability. Visits to local dark tourism sites embodied memories of the disaster that elicit more negative (e.g., sadness) than positive emotions (e.g., gratefulness). Residents coped through seeking comfort from others or positive reappraisal of the experience. Furthermore, visits to dark tourism sites are in and of themselves a coping strategy for residents postdisaster. Implications for the development of dark tourism attractions and support for resident well-being are offered.

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Emotional Experiences and Coping Strategies of Family Members of Critically Ill Patients

CHEST Journal ◽

10.1016/j.chest.2020.05.535 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 158 (4) ◽

pp. 1464-1472 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Emily A. Harlan ◽

Jacquelyn Miller ◽

Deena K. Costa ◽

Angela Fagerlin ◽

Theodore J. Iwashyna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Critically Ill ◽

Critically Ill Patients ◽

Family Members ◽

Emotional Experiences ◽

And Coping

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The Self-Efficacy in Multiple Sclerosis (SEMS) Scale

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000350 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 (5) ◽

pp. 352-360 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Silvia Bonino ◽

Federica Graziano ◽

Martina Borghi ◽

Davide Marengo ◽

Giorgia Molinengo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Measurement Invariance ◽

Sense Of Coherence ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Concurrent Validity ◽

Rasch Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

And Coping

Abstract. This research developed a new scale to evaluate Self-Efficacy in Multiple Sclerosis (SEMS). The aim of this study was to investigate dimensionality, item functioning, measurement invariance, and concurrent validity of the SEMS scale. Data were collected from 203 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients (mean age, 39.5 years; 66% women; 95% having a relapsing remitting form of MS). Fifteen items of the SEMS scale were submitted to patients along with measures of psychological well-being, sense of coherence, depression, and coping strategies. Data underwent Rasch analysis and correlation analysis. Rasch analysis indicates the SEMS as a multidimensional construct characterized by two correlated dimensions: goal setting and symptom management, with satisfactory reliability coefficients. Overall, the 15 items reported acceptable fit statistics; the scale demonstrated measurement invariance (with respect to gender and disease duration) and good concurrent validity (positive correlations with psychological well-being, sense of coherence, and coping strategies and negative correlations with depression). Preliminary evidence suggests that SEMS is a psychometrically sound measure to evaluate perceived self-efficacy of MS patients with moderate disability, and it would be a valuable instrument for both research and clinical applications.

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