Association of perceived stress and coping strategies with the renal function in middle-aged and older Japanese men and women

Elucidating the risk factors for chronic kidney disease is important for preventing end-stage renal disease and reducing mortality. However, little is known about the roles of psychosocial stress and stress coping behaviors in deterioration of the renal function, as measured by the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). This cross-sectional study of middle-aged and older Japanese men (n = 31,703) and women (n = 38,939) investigated whether perceived stress and coping strategies (emotional expression, emotional support seeking, positive reappraisal, problem solving, and disengagement) were related to the eGFR, with mutual interactions. In multiple linear regression analyses adjusted for age, area, lifestyle factors, and psychosocial variables, we found a significant inverse association between perceived stress and the eGFR in men (Ptrend = 0.02), but not women. This male-specific inverse association was slightly attenuated after adjustment for the history of hypertension and diabetes and was more evident in lower levels of emotional expression (Pinteraction = 0.003). Unexpectedly, problem solving in men (Ptrend < 0.001) and positive reappraisal in women (Ptrend = 0.002) also showed an inverse association with the eGFR. Perceived stress may affect the eGFR, partly through the development of hypertension and diabetes. The unexpected findings regarding coping strategies require the clarification of the underlying mechanisms, including the hormonal and immunological aspects.

The Association between Parenting Stress, Positive Reappraisal Coping, and Quality of Life in Parents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Children: A Systematic Review

Parents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children generally suffer from poor coping and an impaired quality of life (QoL). This systematic review investigates parenting stress, positive reappraisal coping, and QoL in parents with ASD children. A literature search was carried out for publications written in English on the selected investigation topics using five databases, namely, Scopus, PubMed, Wiley, ScienceDirect Online, and EBSCO. Only studies investigating or measuring parenting stress, positive reappraisal coping, and QoL in ASD were included. Our results indicate that parents with ASD children have high stress levels. This is associated with the ineffective use of coping strategies and a low QoL. Adaptive coping strategies are related to a higher QoL, whereas maladaptive coping techniques are related to a worse QoL. Positive reappraisal coping is negatively correlated to meaningfulness, and it is used by parents to change their daily routines in order to motivate themselves towards new and evolving goals in life. Finally, we found a significant negative correlation between parenting stress, positive reappraisal coping, and the QoL of parents with ASD children. Positive reappraisal coping as a strategy helps parents adapt to stress and was found to be a potential mediatory function between parental stress and QoL.

Coping Strategies and Their Impact on Quality of Life and Physical Disability of People with Multiple Sclerosis

The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of coping strategies on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and physical disability assessed with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) of people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). PwMS were asked to focus on “MS diagnosis” as the core stressor. One hundred eight pwMS completed the Coping Responses Inventory-Adult form (CRI-Adult), the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-29 (MSQoL-29), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). Multiple regression analyses (first block: EDSS, disease duration, and DASS-21) revealed that physical MSQoL-29 was positively associated with Alternative Rewards and negatively with Resigned Acceptance of the CRI-Adult. The mental MSQoL-29 was positively associated with Problem-Solving and negatively with Emotional Discharge. The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS; first block: disease duration and general distress) was negatively associated with Positive Reappraisal. The Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that pwMS with lower physical disability showed higher scores in Positive Reappraisal and lower scores in Emotional Discharge than pwMS with a higher physical disability. Coping strategies can play a role on HRQoL and physical disability in pwMS above and beyond EDSS, disease duration, and general distress. Psychological interventions should be considered in pwMS since the time of diagnosis to promote engagement in adaptive coping strategies and contrast the maladaptive ones.

Positive reappraisal as a stress coping strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction. The stress coping strategies people rely on impact their psychological well-being and may be related to the risk of developing psychopathology in the short- and long-term after an unfortunate event. Objective. To define the main stress coping strategies in our region as a first step in assessing the risk of developing psychopathology derived from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Method. This is an observational, cross-sectional, analytical study that includes 396 participants over 18 years of age residents of the state of Nuevo Leon. Using an online form, the participants were asked to complete the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CAE). Results. In general, after two months of mitigation measures in Mexico, positive reappraisal was the stress coping strategy with the highest score in the population studied. We found higher scores on negative auto-focused and overt emotional expression on the comparation between sociodemographic subgroups. Discussion and conclusion. The present study shows that, in our community, positive reappraisal was the stress coping strategy with the highest score. Positive reappraisal is an active form of coping associated with greater psychological well-being and fewer risk of developing psychopathology in the short and long term. Based on this, our hypothesis is that the predominant use of this strategy could translate into a higher psychological well-being during and after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the studied sample.

Current Assessment and Interpretation of Perceived Post-Traumatic Growth

Positive reappraisal is a key method for managing distressing emotions and reframing troubling circumstances into a challenge that is more easily handled or resolved. One of the main ways that people positively reframe their stressful experiences is by perceiving that they have grown or benefitted from them. This chapter provides a historical perspective on the study of perceived growth. Topics that are covered include nuances in the terminology ranging from character growth, stress-related growth, hardiness, and post-traumatic growth. In sum, the various concepts that have been used in this literature will be discussed and distinguished, as opposed to being used interchangeably. The authors also provide a discussion of directions for future research.

College Student Experiences of Grief and Loss Amid the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

This study examined types of and reactions to loss experienced by a sample of 162 undergraduate and graduate students in the United States amid the COVID-19 global pandemic. Results indicated students reported an average of 6.33 losses with loss of normalcy being the most prominent. The number of losses experienced was a significant predictor of loss of control and avoidance. A significant positive relationship was revealed between spirituality and positive reappraisal whereas a significant negative correlation was identified between spirituality and loss of control and avoidance. Age was also negatively associated with expressions of avoidance and loss of control. Finally, students who attended faith-based institutions reported higher levels of positive reappraisal and lower levels of loss of control. Results suggest the need for educators and mental health practitioners to assess non-death losses among college students and provide supportive interventions aimed at promoting psychosocial-spiritual coping and resilience during and following a pandemic.

Coping strategies for stress in medical students with type D personality

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Aim. To study the choice of coping strategies and coping adequacy in medical students with type D personality. Material and methods. The study included 98 participants - 68 women and 30 men, studying at the General Medicine Faculty (Kemerovo State Medical University), aged 18 to 23 years (mean age 19.1 ± 2.0 years). All participants completed psychological questionnaires to identify predisposition to psychological distress and choice of coping strategies. Results. All subjects (n = 98) were divided into two groups: subjects with type D personality (n = 44) and subjects without type D personality (n = 54). Type D personality in men was detected in 20.4%, in women in 79.6% (p = 0.03). In students with type D, the average scores on the negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI) scales were higher (16.0 and 13.5 points) than in students without type D (6.5 and 9.0 points), (p &lt; 0.001 in both cases). Subjects with type D had higher scores on the "Escape-avoidance" (p &lt; 0.001), "Accepting responsibility" (p = 0.009) and "Distancing" (p = 0.05) scales of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WSQ) and "Avoidance" (p = 0.007) scale of the Central Sensitisation Inventory (CSI) questionnaire. The indicator of coping strategies showed a very low level of use of avoidance strategies: with type D - 9.09%, without type D - 31.48% (p = 0.007). Students with type D had a pronounced preference for the "Escape-avoidance" strategy of 75.0% (p = 0.000018). According to univariate logistic regression analysis, an increase of 1 point in the values on the "Escape-avoidance" scale increased the chance of identifying type D by 1.15 times (95% CI 1.07-1.23; p &lt; 0.001). On the contrary, an increase in the score on the "Positive Reappraisal" scale reduced the probability of identifying type D personality (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.86-0.98; p = 0.005). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that the identified association between the "Escape-avoidance" strategy and type D personality has high values (AUC = 0.779; 95% CI 0.688-0.870). Conclusion. Predominance of inadequate of coping strategies, such as "Escape-avoidance" and "Avoidance", was found in healthy medical students with type D personality. According to logistic regression analysis, the independent strategy associated with type D personality is the "Escape-avoidance" and without type D - "Positive Reappraisal".