Abstract
Research has investigated behavioral coping strategies for the negative emotions that public emergencies elicit. Accordingly, our current research explored how people coped with negative emotions in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, from a cognitive perspective. Building on the theory of psychological distance and self-construal, we proposed that people who experienced fear, sadness and anxiety responded with independent-self construal, focusing on information that related to themselves and the novel virus (independent information). On the other hand, people who experienced fear, sadness and anger responded with interdependent-self construal, focusing on information that pertained to “us”, the virus and nature (interdependent information). We collected data from 1,142 participants at both the initial peak of the outbreak and when its spread had subsided. Based on this longitudinal data, we examined the effectiveness of these strategies, and our findings suggested that independent information was effective in decreasing fear and anxiety, while interdependent information effectively mitigated sadness. The findings could help researchers, practitioners, governments, and organizations to implement appropriate information strategies to regulate individuals’ negative emotions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights
Scholars have focused on the negative emotions that disasters elicit (Folkman, 2008; Yiend, 2010), since the negative emotions may trigger mental health issues in the long-term (Kiecolt-Glaser et al, 2002)
Building on the theory of psychological distance and self-construal, we proposed that people who experienced fear, sadness and anxiety responded with independent-self construal, focusing on information that related to themselves and the novel virus
Our study explores two questions: (1) How did people cope with their negative emotions during the COVID-19 outbreak, and (2) how effective was each coping strategy? For the first question, we examined the relationship between negative emotions and these coping strategies
Summary
Scholars have focused on the negative emotions that disasters elicit (Folkman, 2008; Yiend, 2010), since the negative emotions may trigger mental health issues in the long-term (Kiecolt-Glaser et al, 2002). Existing literature has confirmed that people have suffered increasing negative emotions during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (Elhai et al, 2020; Li W. et al, 2020), and were still exploring ways to cope with these emotions. The authorities implemented lockdown measures, requiring people to remain at home, which obviously limited behavioral coping strategies. We could not reliably measure the efficacy of these coping strategies. Our research addresses these difficulties by examining the effectiveness of cognitive coping strategies, using longitudinal data. People tend to regulate their emotions when facing adverse situations (Waugh, 2020), but the approaches employed to cope with negative emotions vary (Piff et al, 2012). Researchers have investigated how people recovered from social emergencies, such as bushfires
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
