Coping strategies among medical professionals during COVID-19 outbreak

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.

Coping strategies among medical professionals during COVID-19 outbreak

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.

scholarly journals Psychological Wellbeing and Personal Coping Strategies during COVID-19 Lockdown: An Empirical Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 103-116
Author(s):  
Swati Bajpai ◽  
Swati Vispute
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Defence Mechanisms ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Brief Cope ◽  
Positive Reframing ◽  
Self Worth

This study analyzes the factors affecting psychological wellbeing and personal coping strategies adopted by individuals, “during the lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic”. Ox CAP-MH and Brief COPE was used to develop an online survey. Using the data collected from 351 respondents of the Indian general population, it was found that psychological well-being was affected by activity levels & social involvement; endogenous & exogenous sense of influence; leisure, bias & self worth; adaptability & mindfulness; and mental stress & sleep. Factors associated with personal coping strategies included positive reframing & active coping; defence mechanisms & self-doubt; use of emotional support & planning for the recovery of the pandemic covid-19 by personal coping; substance use & humour; spirituality; persistence threshold; using social support system. Finally result obtained is “the attitude of females and males varies”, towards the majority of the factors. The implications theoretically and in practice have been discussed.

scholarly journals Psychological distress and coping styles in teachers: A preliminary study

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-146 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Coping Strategies and Psychopathological Responses Among Medical and Non-medical Professionals – a Cross-Sectional Online Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Ciułkowicz ◽  
Julian Maciaszek ◽  
Błażej Misiak ◽  
Anna Pałȩga ◽  
Joanna Rymaszewska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Event Scale ◽  
Medical Career ◽  
The Impact

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was announced on March 11th, 2020, due to a surge of newly confirmed cases that significantly impacted populations worldwide, both directly and indirectly. Based on past epidemics research, the mental health implications of introduced restrictions should be expected and adequately addressed irrespective of the practiced profession.Objective: The study aimed to explore psychopathological responses, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), concerning coping strategy clusters during the COVID-19 pandemic among medical and non-medical workers.Methods: A cross-sectional web survey of the general population of internet users was performed from March 16th to April 26th, 2020, in Poland during the first peak of COVID-19 cases. A sample of 1,831 professionally active respondents, 64.0% of which pursuing a medical career, filled out General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and MiniCOPE, along with the socio-demographic questionnaire exploring personal as well as the work-related possibility of direct exposure to contagion and availability of proper protection, contact with the infected without accurate protective measures as well as the adequacy of workers when compared settings.Results: Individuals labeled with specific clusters had significantly different psychopathological manifestations. Irrespective of performed job maladaptive cluster was associated with significantly higher GHQ-28 and IES-R scores on total subscales and all subscales compared to those representing the non-specific and adaptive cluster. Similar findings were observed concerning the frequency of the GHQ-28 positive score. Moreover, the non-specific cluster was associated with significantly higher GHQ-28 total scores among medical professionals. However, GHQ-28 positive scores were significantly more frequent in medical workers using adaptive clusters when compared to non-specific. Such relations were not observed in the non-medical group.IES-R total and subscales' scores did not significantly vary within medical and non-medical groups when adaptive and non-specific clusters were compared. Pursuing a non-medical career was found to be a determinant of lower scores, while female sex was observed to be determinant of higher scores in both GHQ-28 and IES-R scales.Conclusions: Positive screening for psychopathological and PTSD symptoms was expected regardless of the analyzed groups' coping strategies. Given the dramatically developing situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, support initiatives grounded in research evidence may be essential for maintaining the mental well-being and resilience of both the medical and non-medical workforce.

scholarly journals Coping Strategies Among Medical Professionals During COVID 19 Outbreak

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (02) ◽  
pp. 68-73
Author(s):  
S. Vaishali ◽  
R. Jayaseelan ◽  
H. M. Nithya ◽  
S. Ranganathan ◽  
P. P. Kannan
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Brief Cope ◽  
Care Workers

Background: COVID 19 is an ongoing pandemic that has affected people and health workers world-wide. Health care workers not only face short term effects but also long-term psychological consequences due to these stressful situations. Coping strategies can influence health however coping strategies among medical fraternity have not been studied adequately. Methodology: A cross sectional descriptive study was done through an online self-reporting survey model. The BRIEF COPE tool developed by Carver et al was used to assess the coping style. The coping strategy employed was compared to socio-demographic and other variables like professional experience Results: Increasing age was positively correlated with emotion focused and problem focused coping strategies. Marital status had a positive correlation with emotion and problem focused strategies Conclusion: Coping styles in medical professionals differs from those of the general population seen in previous studies. Within the group of medical professionals, those with higher age, higher designation and being married were more likely to use problem focused and emotion focused coping mechanisms which are in general adaptive strategies.

Coping Strategies Among Medical Professionals During COVID 19 Outbreak

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (02) ◽  
pp. 68-73
Author(s):  
S. Vaishali ◽  
R. Jayaseelan ◽  
H. M. Nithya ◽  
S. Ranganathan ◽  
P. P. Kannan
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Brief Cope ◽  
Care Workers

Background: COVID 19 is an ongoing pandemic that has affected people and health workers world-wide. Health care workers not only face short term effects but also long-term psychological consequences due to these stressful situations. Coping strategies can influence health however coping strategies among medical fraternity have not been studied adequately. Methodology: A cross sectional descriptive study was done through an online self-reporting survey model. The BRIEF COPE tool developed by Carver et al was used to assess the coping style. The coping strategy employed was compared to socio-demographic and other variables like professional experience Results: Increasing age was positively correlated with emotion focused and problem focused coping strategies. Marital status had a positive correlation with emotion and problem focused strategies Conclusion: Coping styles in medical professionals differs from those of the general population seen in previous studies. Within the group of medical professionals, those with higher age, higher designation and being married were more likely to use problem focused and emotion focused coping mechanisms which are in general adaptive strategies.

scholarly journals Coping Strategies and Subjective Well-being: Context Matters

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabea Fischer ◽  
Jakob Scheunemann ◽  
Steffen Moritz
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Adaptive Coping ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Expressive Suppression

AbstractA growing body of research suggests that the functionality of coping strategies may in part depend on the context in which they are executed. Thus far, functionality has mostly been defined through the associations of coping strategies with psychopathology, particularly depression. Whether associations of coping strategies with proxies for happiness such as subjective well-being (SWB) are simply inverse remains to be shown. A total of n = 836 individuals from the U. S. general population participated in an online survey that included a revised version of the Maladaptive and Adaptive Coping Styles Questionnaire (MAX-R) that incorporates context-specific items, the Scale of Positive and Negative Affect (SPANE), the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale (TSWLS), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Web Screening Questionnaire (WSQ). The MAX-R was submitted to an exploratory factor analysis. The factor analysis of the MAX-R yielded four subscales: adaptive, maladaptive, avoidance, and expressive suppression coping. Similar strategies in different contexts at times loaded on the same (e.g., maladaptive) or different (e.g., adaptive and avoidance) dimensions. Hierarchical multiple linear regression revealed significant associations of adaptive coping with SPANE (ß = 0.21), TSWLS (ß = 0.03), and PHQ-9 (ß = 0.07), all ps < .001, of maladaptive coping with SPANE (ß =  − 0.19), TSWLS (ß =  − 0.10), and PHQ-9 (ß = 0.02), all ps < .01, of avoidance with PHQ-9 (ß =  0.01, p < .001), and of expressive suppression with SPANE (ß =  − 0.06) and TSWLS (ß =  − 0.16), ps < .005. Final models explained 64.6% of variance in SPANE, 41.8% of variance in TSWLS, and 55% of variance in PHQ-9 score. In some instances, the functionality of coping strategies appears to be impacted by contextual factors. When investigating the overall benefit of use versus nonuse of coping strategies, their association with psychopathology measures and with subjective well-being should both be considered.

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

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

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

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.

scholarly journals How medical students cope with stress: a cross-sectional look at strategies and their sociodemographic antecedents

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Neufeld ◽  
Greg Malin
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Clinical Learning Environment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Brief Cope ◽  
Student Coping

Abstract Background Medical training can be highly stressful for students and negatively impact their mental health. Important to this matter are the types of coping strategies (and their antecedents) medical students use, which are only characterized to a limited extent. A better understanding of these phenomena can shed additional light on ways to support the health and well-being of medical students. Accordingly, we sought to determine medical students’ use of various coping reactions to stress and how their gender and year of study influence those behaviours. Methods A total of 400 University of Saskatchewan medical students were invited to complete an online survey. Using the Brief COPE inventory, we assessed students’ reported use of various adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. Descriptive and comparative statistics were performed, including multivariate analysis of variance, to explore how gender and year influenced coping strategies. Results The participation rate was 49% (47% males and 53% females). Overall, the students’ coping strategies were mostly adaptive, albeit with a few exceptions. Females used more behavioural disengagement, while males used less emotional and instrumental support. Additionally, third years used more denial to cope with stress than students in any other year. Conclusions While few studies report significant sociodemographic effects on medical student coping, our findings raise the possibility that males and females do engage in different coping strategies in medical school, and that the clinical learning environment in third year may provoke more dysfunctional coping, compared to pre-clinical stages of training. Potential explanations and implications of these results are discussed.

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