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

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.

scholarly journals Coping styles and mental health in response to societal changes during the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
pp. 002076402096179
Author(s):  
Caroline Gurvich ◽  
Natalie Thomas ◽  
Elizabeth HX Thomas ◽  
Abdul-Rahman Hudaib ◽  
Lomash Sood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Gender Disparity ◽  
Brief Cope ◽  
Psychosocial Responses

Background: Psychosocial responses to infectious disease outbreaks have the potential to inflict acute and longstanding mental health consequences. Early research across the globe has found wide ranging psychological responses to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding how different coping styles can be effective in mitigating mental ill health would enable better tailored psychological support. Aims: The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of psychosocial responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including depression, anxiety and distress, as well as effective coping styles in an Australian sample. Method: A sample of 1,495 adults, residing in Australia between April 3rd and May 3rd 2020, completed an online survey which measured psychological distress (Impact of Events Scale-Revised), depression, anxiety, stress (DASS-21), as well as coping strategies (Brief COPE). Results: 47% of the respondents were experiencing some degree of psychological distress. Females experienced higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress than males. Coping strategies associated with better mental health were positive reframing, acceptance and humour. Conversely, self-blame, venting, behavioural disengagement and self-distraction were associated with poorer mental health. Conclusion: Rates of psychological symptoms amongst the Australian population are similar to those reported in other countries. Findings add to the growing literature demonstrating a gender disparity in the mental health impacts of COVID-19. Positive emotion focused coping strategies may be effective for reducing psychological symptoms. Understanding psychosocial responses including beneficial coping strategies are crucial to manage the current COVID-19 situation optimally, as well as to develop mental health response plans for future pandemics.

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

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
David John Hallford ◽  
Emily J . Wallman ◽  
Ryan A. Kaplan ◽  
Glenn A. Melvin
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Emotional Distress ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Brief Cope ◽  
Actual Use ◽  
And Coping

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.

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.

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

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 370 ◽  
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.

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

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.

College Students' Coping and Psychological Help-Seeking Attitudes and Intentions

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-157
Author(s):  
Kathleen L. Niegocki ◽  
Stefanía Ægisdóttir
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Psychological Help ◽  
Avoidant Coping ◽  
Counseling Experience ◽  
Help Seeking Attitudes ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
Brief Cope ◽  
Support Seeking

The relationship between college students' coping and psychological help-seeking attitudes and intentions was examined. Seven hundred and nineteen students participated (180 men, 537 women, and two individuals who did not indicate their gender). Questionnaires were completed online and included the Brief COPE and Beliefs About Psychological Services scales. It was found that for students with previous counseling experience, coping by means of greater use of support seeking and less use of avoidant coping strategies was associated with greater intent to seek psychological help, greater stigma tolerance, and greater belief in psychologists' expertness. Problem-focused coping was unrelated to psychological help-seeking attitudes and intentions among these students. For students without previous counseling experience, coping by means of greater use of support seeking (emotional support, instrumental support, and venting), greater use of problem-focused coping (active coping, positive reframing, religion, and planning), and less use of avoidant coping strategies (denial, substance use, behavioral disengagement, and self-blame) was associated with greater stigma tolerance and greater belief in psychologists' expertness. For these students, coping behaviors were not related to intentions to seek counseling.

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

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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