Components of Unrealistic Optimism of College Students: The Case of the COVID-19 Pandemic

College students are among the most strongly affected populations by the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic because of uncertainty regarding academic success, future careers, and social life during their study period. Their mental health and behavior may dramatically be impacted. The study examined an unrealistic optimism of Israeli college students in assessing the health, security, and economic risks during the pandemic, and the contributions of these perceived risks to the prediction of psychological coping responses, such as well-being, and coping suppressing response of anxiety, expressed during this pandemic. Using social networks, a questionnaire was disseminated to students during the third lockdown that was implemented in Israel because of the pandemic. Depressive and anxiety symptoms, perceived threats, resilience, well-being, hope, and morale were measured using a structured quantitative questionnaire. First, we hypothesized that the three perceived risks would be inversely rated, so perceived health risk would be rated lowest, and perceived economic risk would be rated highest. The second and third hypotheses claimed that psychological coping responses articulated along this pandemic would be predicted by all these perceived risks, as well as the observance of pandemic precaution rules. The fourth hypothesis suggested that the three investigated perceived risks will positively and significantly correlate with each other. The results generally supported the hypotheses and indicated that the unrealistic optimism process was employed quite consistently by the participating students.

Exploring Coping Strategies of Different Generations of Students Starting University

Introduction: Coping strategies and adaptation skills are key features in successfully adjusting to university challenges. Coping skills are an essential part of the Psychological immune system, which leads to successful adaptation. Due to COVID-19 most universities have changed their face-to-face teaching for online education. Nevertheless, there is little concrete empirical evidence on how this generation of students with the ongoing impacts of disruptive changes can cope with it. Colleges and universities need to make changes in order to retain this new generation of students. Our aim was to explore the characteristics and changes in coping skills of university students from three different age groups.Method: Psychological coping skills were measured by the Psychological Immune Competence Inventory (PICI). Differences were detected between generations. Group comparisons (pre-2004, pre-Covid, and post-Covid) groups were compared) using PICI subscales using independent sample analysis of variance. The sample consisted of 4,731 university students, 2,768 (58.5%) were men and 1,730 (36.56%) were women.Results: Students from 2004 showed significantly higher scores in the Self-regulation subsystem scale compared to students in the pre-Covid and post-Covid groups. Self-regulation subsystem: F(2, 2,569.607) = 444.375, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.27: small effect, ω2 = 0.27; Resilience: F(2, 2,372.117) = 1171.855, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.14: small effect, ω2 = 0.14. Based on the results, the explained variance ratio was at least 10% based on self-regulation and resilience.Conclusions: Psychological immune capacity of students seems to decrease through the years. Nonetheless, interventions may have a further facilitating role in the maintenance and development of psychological immunity during college years.

A Latent Profile Analysis of Undocumented College Students’ Protection-Oriented Family Communication and Strengths-Based Psychological Coping

Drawing from resilience theory, this study explored subgroups of undocumented college students (UCS) based on their patterns of protection-oriented family communication and strengths-based psychological coping. Using survey data from 237 UCS, latent profile analyses revealed three subgroups. Safe optimistic copers reported occasional documentation-seeking and know-your-rights communication, but higher means in prevention and right path communication, as well as optimistic coping. Comprehensive copers scored moderately high in all types of protection-oriented communication and psychological coping. Strengths-based psychological copers infrequently engaged in protection-oriented communication, yet they scored moderately to moderately high in positive psychological coping. Compared to the other two profiles, safe optimistic copers reported the worst wellbeing (highest mean anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep disturbances; lowest mean perceived health and wellbeing). Comprehensive copers fared worse in anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep disturbances compared to strengths-based psychological copers; however, comprehensive copers reported greater wellbeing, perceived health, and academic motivation.

Morale and Perceived Threats as Predictors of Psychological Coping with Distress in Pandemic and Armed Conflict Times

The present study investigated predictors of psychological coping with adversity responses during the COVID-19 pandemic and an armed conflict. Two paired samples that represented the Israeli population that was exposed to both adversities were compared. Respondents rated five different psychological coping responses associated with the two adversities, such as anxiety or individual resilience. Perceived security, pandemic, economic, and political risks, as well as level of morale, were rated. Two major findings were disclosed by two path analyses. Morale improved the predictions of the varied coping responses in both the pandemic and conflict and was the best predictor of four out of five responses and the second-best predictor of the fifth response. Contrary to previous studies, our findings revealed that the concept of a single major predictor of coping responses under distress is an overgeneralization. In both cases, the coping responses were better explained by other perceived risks rather than by the risk of the investigated adversity. Rather than assume that a perceived security threat accounts for low levels of public moods, it is vital to study the antecedents of coping responses and to empirically examine additional potential predictors.

THE LEVEL OF ANXIETY CAUSED BY THE EMERGING COVID-19 VIRUS AND ITS RELATION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL COPING STRATEGIES FOR GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTORS’ EMPLOYEES IN THE SULTANATE

This quantitative study discussed the level of anxiety and its relation to psychological coping strategies with Corona pandemic for government and private sectors’ employees in the Sultanate. The problem lies in the employees' return to work in their workplaces in light of the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, according to the decision of the Supreme Committee in the Sultanate, and the anxiety that may result from this decision among the employees. The study aimed to reveal the level of anxiety caused by the emerging Covid-19 virus and its relation to psychological coping strategies for government and private sectors’ employees in the Sultanate. The study was applied to a sample of (584) employees chosen by a simple random method. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers used the descriptive analytical approach, through conducting a questionnaire as a study tool. The results showed that the level of anxiety among employees in both sectors was high. Moreover, the analysis revealed that the employees used coping strategies to control anxiety caused by the pandemic in different levels, varying between significant and medium. The extent of use of these strategies was respectively as follows: religious dimension, and confrontation and problem-solving strategies (significantly), help and support strategy (largely), and escape strategy (medium). The results also showed that there is a statistically positive correlation between anxiety and all coping strategies, except for the confrontation and problem-solving strategy.