The Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Individuals' and Couples' Sexuality

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions significantly impacted individuals' health, wellbeing, and security. Isolation, limitation of movement, social distancing, and forced cohabiting have had a strong influence on all areas of people's lives as well as on their sexuality. Investigating how the COVID-19 outbreak and its consequences impacted people's sexuality was the primary aim of this review. Particularly, we focused on: (1) the variables associated with the improvement or the deterioration of individuals' and couples' lives during the pandemic; (2) the use of sex as a coping strategy; (3) the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on LGBT people. Results have shown that the worsening of sexual life seems to be related to couples' conflict, emotions and psychological difficulties, being female, being single or away from the partner, being a health care worker, and having children. Moreover, a detrimental effect on sexuality was associated with stress, forced cohabitation, routine, anxiety and worry about the job and the pandemic, feeling partner distance, being unhappy with their partner, and lack of privacy. On the other hand, improvements in sexuality were associated with living happily with a partner, being happy and satisfied with a partner, feeling less stressed and more bored, having more free time, having fewer recreation opportunities, and having minor workload. During the pandemic, there was an increase in using sex toys, pornography consumption, masturbating, and trying sexual experimentations. Among LGBT people, an increase was found in the number of casual sexual partners potentially due to the perceived lower likelihood of transmission through sex. Moreover, the increase in sexual activity may have represented a coping strategy to quarantine-related distress.

Nivel de estrés y estrategias de afrontamiento utilizadas por estudiantes de la licenciatura en Enfermería

Objective: Determine the relationship between the stress level and the coping strategies used by students of the Bachelor’s Degree of Nursing in institutions of higher education of Ciudad Obregón, Sonora. Methodology: Descriptive and correlational study; the population was comprised by 250 students whose age ranged from 18 and 46 years. Data was collected through a questionnaire of sociodemographic characteristics, the perceived stress level instrument, and the Brief COPE questionnaire.Results: 74.4% of the sample was comprised by women and 25.6% by men. It was found that both genders had a moderate level of stress (78%), in terms of the coping strategies most frequently used by the students, the emotional active coping was the one found. The correlation analysis was performed using Pearson's chi-square non-parametric test (x2) to probe the existence of relationship between the stress level and coping strategies (p=0.67). Based on the results of x2 (p=0.067), an additional analysis was carried out separating the categories of each one of the variables of study; Pearson’s test was used to find a significant correlation between low stress level and active emotional coping strategy (p=0.27) and between high stress level and avoidance emotional coping strategy (p=-0.01).Conclusions: The highest levels of stress are manifested by students who study only theoretical subjects. It is suggested the implementation of interventions related to the adequate management of stress. Objetivo: Determinar la relación entre el nivel de estrés y las estrategias de afrontamiento utilizadas por estudiantes de la Licenciatura en Enfermería en Instituciones de Educación Superior (IES) de Ciudad Obregón, Sonora.Metodología: Estudio no experimental y correlacional; se empleó un muestreo probabilístico estratificado de 250 estudiantes, con edades entre los 18 y 46 años de edad. Los datos fueron recabados mediante un cuestionario de características sociodemográficas, el instrumento del nivel de estrés percibido y para medir afrontamiento el Brief COPE Inventory. Resultados: El 74.4% de la muestra fueron mujeres y el 25.6% hombres, ambos géneros exhibieron nivel de estrés moderado (78%), la estrategia de afrontamiento reportada con mayor frecuencia fue afrontamiento activo emocional. Se empleó la prueba no paramétrica chi-cuadrada de Pearson (χ2) para probar la existencia de asociación entre el nivel de estrés y las estrategias de afrontamiento (p= 0.67). Con base a los resultados de χ2 (p=.067) se realizó un análisis adicional separando las categorías de cada una de las variables de estudio, se utilizó la prueba de Pearson con la cual se encontró correlación significativa entre el nivel de estrés bajo y la estrategia afrontamiento activo emocional, (p=0.27) y entre nivel de estrés alto y estrategia de afrontamiento emocional por evitación (p=-.01).Conclusiones: Los niveles más altos de estrés lo manifiestan estudiantes que cursan solo materias teóricas. Se sugiere la implementación de intervenciones relacionadas al manejo adecuado del estrés.

Assessment of Social Competencies, Coping Strategies, and Academic Achievement of First Year Students

The purpose of this research was to assess first year students’ social competency and coping strategies against their overall first semester academic achievement (GPA) at Arsi University. A sample (N = 360) of first year students was selected for the study. Slightly adapted versions of Social Competency Scale (Silvera, Martinussen, & Dahl, 2001) and Coping Strategy Scales (Carver, 1999) were used to assess these aspects. The results revealed that the majority students were good and some of them were identified as average on social competency dimensions. On the other hand, it was noted that majority of the students use avoidance coping strategies. Social competency has strong positive connection with student’s GPA but coping strategy has nonsignificant negative correlation with GPA. Both social competency and coping strategy slightly contributed to the variations in first semester GPA among first year students. Only college had a mediating role with partial mediation effect between social competency total and GPA. A significant difference was observed between male and female students in their GPA and social competency. Gender and religion had no mediation role between social competency, coping strategy, and first semester GPA of the students. In conclusion, it was implied that university students’ personnel should work on first year students’ adaptive coping strategies and social competencies.

PSYCHOSPIRITUAL, STRESS, AND COPING STRATEGY OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS PATIENT: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Background: Tuberculosis can cause psychological disorders in a person. Spiritual approaches can be used to improve coping strategies to suppress stress symptoms that arise. Objective: The purpose of this study is to describe the psychospiritual conditions, stress and coping strategies that occur in patients with tuberculosis. Design: The research design uses systematic review based on PRISMA checklist. Data Sources: Using three databases; Scopus, Science Direct and EBSCO. The search was conducted from January to March 2021. The keyword “tuberculosis” OR “pulmonary TB’ OR “psychology” OR “spiritual” OR “stress” OR “coping strategy” was used in this systematic review with journal articles, 2016-2021 publication years and English as searching limitation. Review Methods: JBI Critical Appraisal Tool used to assess the quality of the articles and PRISMA checklist used as a guideline to filter articles. Results: 10 articles were obtained according to the inclusion criteria. The results of the analysis showed 7 articles using a cross sectional design, 2 quasi-experimental, and 1 qualitative study. The number of samples with a cross-sectional design ranged from 45 to 1,342, while articles with a quasi-experimental, qualitative and comparative study design had 32, 15 and 78 patients with pulmonary TB as respondents. Almost all of the psychological conditions in pulmonary TB patients experience stress and coping disorders. The results of the analysis show that spirituality can be used to improve the coping strategies used so as to suppress the stress symptoms that arise. Conclusion: Psychospiritual strategies can be used as a way to improve the coping of TB sufferers and reduce the stress they experience.

Proactive Coping in Youth and Old Age as an Indicator of Identity Formation in an Anormative Context

Objective: This paper provides a comprehensive investigation of coping with distress, with a focus on the proactive approach, which is of particular significance for individuals who manage identity transitions periods. Researchers discuss findings from two independent projects analyzing individual variation in strategies for coping with difficult situations at the extremes of life: adolescence and old age. Both studies were conducted between 2014 and 2016. Proactivity preferences were analyzed in a sample of 332 adolescents. Similarly, results collected among 1552 seniors were analyzed. The tools used in the analysis were the Proactive Coping Inventory for Adolescents (PCI-A) and the Proactive Coping Inventory for Adults (PCI). Results: Our findings show that the strategies preferred by the adolescent group included: proactive coping, looking for emotional support and preventive coping. Whereas the results for the elderly group showed their preference for looking for emotional support, reflective and preventive coping. Nevertheless the proactive coping strategy was chosen by adolescents as well as the elderly. The analysis performed demonstrated no significant difference in the reflective coping strategy for the compared age groups. Conclusions: The findings can be explained by theoretical accounts that question the classical developmental models with normative life trajectories and develop more person-oriented idiographic approach with decollectivisation of the life course thesis (Loos, 2012) becoming increasingly evident. Key words: proactiveness, adolescence, ageing, transition, identity, medical practise, education

The Role of the Results of Functional Tests and Psychological Factors on Prediction of Injuries in Adolescent Female Football Players

Football is a popular sport among adolescent females. Given the rate of injuries in female footballers, identifying factors that can predict injuries are important. These injuries are often caused by complex reasons. The aim of this study was to investigate if the combination of demographic (age, number of training and match play hours/week), psychosocial (perceived stress, adaptive coping strategies) and physiological factors (functional performance) can predict a traumatic injury in adolescent female footballers. A cohort consisting of 419 female football players aged 13–16 years was established. Baseline questionnaires covered potential risk factors for sport injuries, and measurements included football-related functional performance tests. Data were collected prospectively with a weekly online questionnaire for 52 weeks covering, e.g., injuries, training, and match play hours/week. A total of 62% of the players reported at least one traumatic injury during the 52 weeks. The coping strategy “positive reframing” had the strongest association with the risk of traumatic injuries. The combination of more frequent use of the coping strategy, positive reframing, and high levels of physical performance capacity may prevent a traumatic injury in adolescent female footballers. Coaches are encouraged to adopt both physiological and psychological factors when preventing injuries in young female footballers.