Suicide and coping: specific coping behaviours associated with suicidal ideation and differences between predicted and actual coping among help-seeking individuals

Suicide is a substantial contributor to global mortality, with suicidal ideation (SI) a significant predictor of suicide. Research has demonstrated relationships between dispositional coping styles and SI. This study aimed to advance this research by moving from the disposition coping level to examining the specific coping strategies people use when experiencing SI. Further, it aimed to examine whether prediction of the coping strategies individuals would use if they experienced SI differs from the actual coping strategies employed by people that have experienced SI. Seventy-seven help-seeking adults (Mage = 31.6, SD = 10.4) with (n = 49) or without (n = 28) history of SI completed measures of SI-related coping (modified Brief COPE) and current emotional distress (DASS-21) via online survey. ANCOVA revealed a significant association between SI history status and endorsement of Problem-Focused coping strategies, while controlling for current emotional distress levels. Participants without SI history reported greater predicted Problem-Focused coping use than actual use reported by participants with SI history. Subsequent facet-level ANCOVAs demonstrated that participants without SI history predicted they would use Active Coping, Use of Informational Support, and Planning strategies to a greater extent than was reported by people who did experience SI. The findings suggest individuals without SI history may overestimate their ability to use such adaptive coping strategies, and may represent an overestimation of overall ability to cope with potential SI. Future research may build on these preliminary findings and examine the factors explaining these differences to help inform programs related to SI and coping.

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Psychiatric morbidities and Coping strategies in patients with different Coronavirus disease-2019 severities and chronic medical diseases: A multicenter cross-sectional study

10.1101/2020.12.22.20248379 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hend Ibrahim Shousha ◽

Nagwan Madbouly ◽

Shaimaa Afify ◽

Noha Asem ◽

Rabab Maher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Online Survey ◽

Coping Styles ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Brief Cope ◽

And Coping ◽

Anxiety Depression

AbstractCOVID-19 patients, especially those with chronic medical illnesses (CMI), may use different coping strategies, to reduce their psychological distress while facing the COVID-19 infection. The aim was to compare anxiety, depression and coping styles between patients infected with COVID-19 disease with and without CMI during the peak of COVID-19 disease in Egypt. This is a cross sectional study, that included an online survey consisting of Arabic versions of General Health Questionnaire-12, Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Brief-COPE scale. Questionnaires were distributed to adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection during their quarantine in Egypt. One hundred ninety-nine patients responded to the survey, where 46.73% of them had CMI. Religion, emotional support, use of informational support and acceptance were the most used coping strategies by participants. Avoidant coping strategies were frequently used by divorced patients, home quarantined individuals, patients who developed COVID-19 related anxiety/depression and patients who didn’t receive hydroxyl-chloroquine. Approach strategies were frequently used by patients with mild COVID-19. Understanding the used coping strategies has implications for how individuals might be helped to manage their illness during the current presentation and intervene with development of serious long-term mental health conditions.

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Psychological distress and coping styles in teachers: A preliminary study

Australian Journal of Education ◽

10.1177/0004944120908960 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 64 (2) ◽

pp. 127-146 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Peta Stapleton ◽

Sarah Garby ◽

Debbie Sabot

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Coping Styles ◽

Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽

Empirical Measures ◽

Brief Cope

Teaching professionals report higher levels of work-related stress and symptoms of psychological health problems than the general population. This study examined psychological distress, coping styles and wellbeing in 166 Australian teachers (aged 22–65 years; M = 37.74 years, SD = 10.84 years). Participants completed an online survey comprising demographic items and four empirical measures (The Satisfaction with Life Scale, Subjective Happiness Scale, The Brief COPE Inventory and The Patient Health Questionnaire). Work, workload and finances were identified as leading sources of stress. Moreover, above-average clinical symptoms of anxiety, depression and physical concerns were reported, and 17% of respondents met criteria for probable alcohol dependence. Results suggested that maladaptive coping strategies employed by teachers may contribute to their risk of increased psychological distress, and decreased life satisfaction and happiness. These findings indicate the need for work-based programmes to enhance teachers’ coping strategies in an effort to reduce psychological distress and improve overall wellbeing in teaching professionals.

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Coping strategies among medical professionals during COVID-19 outbreak

INDIAN JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH AND NEUROSCIENCES ◽

10.32746/10.32746/ijmhns.2021.v4.i1.43 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (01) ◽

pp. 28-33

Author(s):

Vaishali Shanmugam

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Online Survey ◽

Coping Styles ◽

Well Being ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Medical Professionals ◽

Stressful Situation ◽

Sociodemographic Variables ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Brief Cope

BACKGROUND: COVID -19 pandemic is a very stressful situation for doctors, who face the risk of infection in daily life. Coping is the process by which a person deals with stressful situations or demands. Identifying the coping strategies of our medical professionals will help us to understand their coping styles and to deliver effective interventions to enhance their mental well-being. METHODS: An online survey form with socio-demographic profile and BRIEF COPE tool for assessing different coping strategies was sent to interns, residents, and teaching faculty. The coping strategies were divided into emotion-based, problem-based, and dysfunctional coping, and spearman's correlation was done to determine any correlation between sociodemographic variables and the coping strategies. RESULTS: A total of 84 valid and complete responses were included in the study. There is a variable distribution of mean scores for problem-focused, emotion-focused, and dysfunctional strategies. Age and marital status had a positive correlation with problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies meaning that older adults and married people used these strategies predominantly. Higher designation used problem-focused coping predominantly. Dysfunctional coping strategies had no correlation with any of the sociodemographic variables. CONCLUSION: Sociodemographic factors affecting the coping mechanisms in medical professionals differ from those of the general population seen in previous studies. Within the group of medical professionals, those with higher age, higher designation and married had predominantly adaptive strategies. Interventions targetting maladaptive components of emotion-focused strategies and dysfunctional strategies should be aimed at a younger age group, unmarried people, interns, and residents among the medical professionals to better cope with this COVID scenario.

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Understanding the Differing Impacts of On-Call Work for Males and Females: Results from an Online Survey

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16030370 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 370 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Bernadette Roberts ◽

Grace Vincent ◽

Sally Ferguson ◽

Amy Reynolds ◽

Sarah Jay

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Online Survey ◽

Coping Styles ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Adverse Outcomes ◽

Valuable Insight ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Males And Females ◽

And Coping

On-call work is prevalent worldwide and is associated with adverse outcomes, including disrupted sleep, impaired leisure time, and difficulties in mentally detaching from work. Limited studies specifically explored whether men and women experience on-call differently; therefore, our aim was to investigate whether sex differences exist in terms of both the impacts of and coping strategies to deal with on-call work. On-call workers (n = 228) participated in an online survey to investigate how on-call work impacts domestic, non-domestic, and leisure activities, and coping strategies. Pearson chi-squared analyses were used to determine sex differences for each construct of interest. Results indicated that female respondents were more likely to be responsible for running their household, and reported that being on call disturbed leisure, domestic, and non-domestic activities “a lot/very much”. While both males and females adopted engaged coping styles, a greater proportion of males used “problem solving” and a greater proportion of females “talked about their feelings” when managing on-call work. These findings provide valuable insight into how males and females are differentially impacted and cope with on-call work. Further research is required to better understand these impacts, particularly over time, and should include measures such as of quality of life, relationship satisfaction, and physical and mental health outcomes.

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Coping strategies among medical professionals during COVID-19 outbreak

INDIAN JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH AND NEUROSCIENCES ◽

10.32746/ijmhns.2021.v4.i1.43 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (01) ◽

pp. 28-33

Author(s):

Vaishali Shanmugam

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Online Survey ◽

Coping Styles ◽

Well Being ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Medical Professionals ◽

Stressful Situation ◽

Sociodemographic Variables ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Brief Cope

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Help-Seeking as a Maladaptive Coping Style in the Pandemic Scenario: What Worked and What Did Not for Facing This New Stressor

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph19010319 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 319

Author(s):

Luca Simione ◽

Camilla Gnagnarella ◽

Giulia Spina ◽

Giuseppe Bersani

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Coping Styles ◽

Psychological Research ◽

Previous Literature ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Brief Cope ◽

Engagement And Disengagement ◽

Global Population

The spread of COVID-19 and its related confinement measures were important stressors for a large part of the global population, with massive effects on both physical and mental health. Assessing how individuals coped with such a stressor and which strategies were effective is one of the main challenges for psychological research. In this study, we aimed to investigate the coping strategies implied during the COVID-19 lockdown and their effectiveness. We recruited 374 Italian participants through convenience sampling during the first pandemic wave (April 2020). We administered to our participants an online battery of questionnaires including the Brief COPE, the use of alternative coping strategies proposed by the WHO to help people facing lockdown stress, and a range of psychological symptoms. An exploratory factor analysis conducted on the subscales of the Brief COPE revealed a three-factor structure. Following the previous literature, we named these factors engagement, disengagement, and help-seeking coping styles. In the pandemic scenario, the engagement and disengagement styles revealed the typical correlation patterns with psychological symptoms (i.e., the engagement was adaptive while the disengagement was maladaptive). Instead, contrary to previous literature, help-seeking was positively related to psychological symptoms, suggesting a mismatch between searching for help and finding it during the lockdown. This result supports the importance of evaluating the effectiveness of coping strategies in the pandemic scenario, to give more compelling and precise advice to the population.

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Coping with COVID-19 Pandemic: A Population-Based Study in Bangladesh

10.1101/2021.03.30.21254632 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

K M Amran Hossain ◽

Karen Saunders ◽

Mohamed Sakel ◽

Lori Maria Walton ◽

Veena Raigangar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Coping Style ◽

Coping Styles ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Male Gender ◽

Avoidant Coping ◽

Future Research ◽

Female Participant ◽

Brief Cope ◽

Approach Coping

This study aims to investigate coping strategies used by Bangladeshi citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Prospective, cross-sectional survey of adults (N=2001) living in Bangladesh. Methods: Participants were interviewed for socio-demographic data and completed the Bengali translated Brief-COPE Inventory. Statistical data analysis was conducted using SPSS (Version 20). Results: Participants (N=2001), aged 18 to 86 years, were recruited from eight administrative divisions within Bangladesh (mean age 31.85, SD 14.2 years). Male to female participant ratio was 53.4% (n=1074) to 46.6% (n=927). Higher scores were reported for approach coping styles (29.83, SD 8.9), with lower scores reported for avoidant coping styles (20.83, SD 6.05). Humor coping scores were reported at 2.68, SD 1.3, and religion coping scores at 5.64, SD 1.8. Both men and women showed similar coping styles. Multivariate analysis found a significant relationship between the male gender and both humor and avoidant coping (p <.01). Male gender was found to be inversely related to both religion and approach coping (p<.01). Marital status and education were significantly related to all coping style domains (p<.01). The occupation was significantly related to approach coping (p <.01). Rural and urban locations differed significantly in participant coping styles (p <.01). Factor analysis revealed two cluster groups (Factor 1 and 2) comprised of unique combinations from all coping style domains. Conclusion: Participants in this study coped with the COVID-19 pandemic by utilizing a combination of coping strategies. Factor 1 revealed both avoidant and approach coping strategies and Factor 2 revealed a combination of humor and avoidant coping strategies. Overall, higher utilization of approach coping strategies was reported, which has previously been associated with better physical and mental health outcomes. Religion was found to be a coping strategy for all participants. Future research may focus on understanding resilience in vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities or with migrant or refugee status in Bangladesh.

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A survey to evaluate mental well being and coping strategies of adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic in Bangalore, India

Journal of Student Research ◽

10.47611/jsrhs.v10i2.1835 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Arna Bhattacharya ◽

DR Jigyansa Ipsita Pattnaik ◽

DR Suhas Chandran

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Online Survey ◽

Well Being ◽

Development Stage ◽

Coping Mechanisms ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Brief Cope ◽

And Coping ◽

Mental Well Being

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in the lifestyle of adolescents. Adolescence is a development stage of high vulnerability that can impact well-being later in life. Mental health plays an important role in one’s quality of life. Understanding coping mechanisms helps make a person safe and resilient from psychological distress. The present study aims to evaluate the mental well-being and coping strategies used by adolescents in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in a school in Bangalore, India via an online survey, circulated via the class teacher. Participants included 222 adolescents with ages ranging from 13 to 19. The DASS-21 and Brief COPE scales were used to assess mental well-being and coping mechanisms respectively. The questionnaire concluded with validated general lifestyle related questions. This included inquiring relationships between students and their families, friends, academic performance, social media consumption etc. The data was collected over a period of one month. Results: In the DASS-21 scoring, 31.9% (n=69), 24.8% (n=55) and 5.4% (n=12) received scores indicating extremely severe depression, anxiety and stress respectively. Females were statistically found to be more depressed and anxious than males. Behavioural disengagement and self blame were commonly used coping mechanisms by those who were found to be psychologically distressed. Conclusions: Psychological distress has been observed in adolescents in varying degrees during the COVID-19 pandemic. This should be addressed in order to prevent further distress. Keywords: adolescents, covid-19, mental well being, DASS-21, Brief COPE, depression, anxiety, stress

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The Relationship Between Nomophobia and Maladaptive Coping Styles in a Sample of Italian Young Adults: Insights and Implications From a Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.13154 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Nicola Luigi Bragazzi ◽

Tania Simona Re ◽

Riccardo Zerbetto

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Information Technologies ◽

Online Survey ◽

Coping Styles ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Maladaptive Coping ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Brief Cope

BACKGROUND Information technologies have become an integral part of the modern society; however, it is speculated that their overuse would result in addiction. Nomophobia refers to the irrational fear of being out of contact with virtual communication platforms. Generally, upon exposure to stress, humans adjust by employing cognitive mechanisms and behavioral efforts known as coping strategies. OBJECTIVE The goal of the research was to explore coping styles implemented in subjects with nomophobia. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study involving young adult participants (undergraduate students and younger subjects) who were recruited via an online survey using a snowball approach. The Italian version of the Nomophobia Questionnaire was administered to subjects. The measurement of coping styles was done using the 28-item Brief COPE questionnaire. Continuous data were computed as means and standard deviations, whereas categorical data were expressed as percentages, where appropriate. Correlation analysis was performed between the Nomophobia Questionnaire and Brief COPE scores. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted in order to shed light on the determinants of each coping style and its association with nomophobia. RESULTS A total of 403 subjects took part in the study. Subjects with higher nomophobia scores responded when confronted with stress with behavioral disengagement (r=.16, P<.001), denial (r=.19, P<.001), self-blame (r=.12, P=.02), self-distraction (r=.22, P<.001), venting (r=.28, P<.001), use of emotional (r=.25, P<.001), and instrumental support (r=.16, P=.001). CONCLUSION Nomophobia subjects adopt maladaptive coping strategies when confronted with stress. The acknowledgment of how nomophobia subjects react provides insight and introduces a focus for preventative and interventional measures in this population.

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Coronavirus Disease Stress Among Italian Healthcare Workers: The Role of Coping Humor

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2020.601574 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Carla Canestrari ◽

Ramona Bongelli ◽

Alessandra Fermani ◽

Ilaria Riccioni ◽

Alessia Bertolazzi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coping Strategies ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Future Research ◽

Brief Cope ◽

Approach Coping ◽

Potential Factor ◽

Related Stress ◽

And Coping

The study aimed to understand how coping strategies in general and humor-based coping strategies in particular modulate the perception of pandemic-related stress in a sample of Italian healthcare workers during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Italy. A total of 625 healthcare workers anonymously and voluntarily completed a 10-min questionnaire, which included psychometrically valid measurements preceded by a set of questions aimed at determining workers’ exposure to COVID-19. The Perceived Stress Scale was used to measure healthcare workers’ stress levels, and the Brief COPE Scale and Coping Humor Scale were used to assess participants’ avoidant or approach coping style and verify the degree to which they relied on humor to cope with stress. The results show that (1) levels of perceived stress were higher in healthcare workers who were more exposed to COVID-19 (i.e., who came into contact with COVID-19 patients or worked in wards dedicated to COVID-19) in comparison to less-exposed workers; (2) participants who reported a higher use of avoidant coping strategies perceived the situation as more stressful than those who used them less; and (3) healthcare workers who reported higher use of humor-based coping strategies perceived the situation as less stressful in comparison with those who reported less use of coping humor. Such findings expanded other research studies by including coping humor as a potential factor to mitigate the perceived stress related to COVID-19. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for future research and limitations of the study.

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