Coping Strategies In Response Research Articles

Supporting athletes during a challenging situation: recommendations from a global insight of COVID-19 home-based training experience.

For athletes, overcoming obstacles in challenging situations like pandemic home training is crucial. Strategies and approaches in this context are not well-documented. Our study aims to investigate such a scenario from a performance standpoint, based on a major global crisis: the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. This cross-sectional study surveyed athletes without disabilities using online questionnaires (35 languages) from May to July 2020. Questions included aspects of alternative routines, training monitoring, recovery, sleep patterns, injury occurrence/prevention based on structured answers, and an open-ended question on lockdown training experiences. Of the 11,762 athletes from 142 countries, 63% were male, including at World-Class, International, National, State and Recreational levels. During lockdown, 25% athletes used innovative or modern ways to maintain or improve fitness e.g., virtual reality and tracking devices (favoring World-Class level, 30%). Many athletes, regardless of gender (43%) watched video competitions to improve/maintain their mental skills and performance [World-Class (47%) and International (51%)]. Contact frequency between athletes and their coaches was mainly at least once a week (36%), more among higher-level (World-Class/International) than lower-level athletes (27 vs. 16%). Higher-level athletes (≥ 54%) monitored training load and were assisted by their coaches (21%). During lockdown, stretching (67%) was considered one of the primary means of recovery, especially for higher-level athletes (> 70%). Compared to pre-lockdown, about two-thirds of athletes reported "normal" or "improved" sleep quality and quantity, suggesting a low sleep quality pre-lockdown. On average, 40% utilized injury prevention exercises (at least) once a week [World-Class (51%) and International (39%)]. Most injury occurrences during lockdown involved the knee (18%), ankle (16%), and back (9%). Four key themes emerged regarding lockdown experiences: remote training adaptation (e.g., shifting training focus), training creativity (e.g., using household items), performance enhancement opportunities (e.g., refocusing neglected aspects), and mental and motivation challenges. Both male and female athletes, particularly those of higher levels, displayed some adaptalibity during the COVID-19 lockdown, employing innovative approaches and technology for training. Many athletes implemented load monitoring, recovery, and attentive of injury prevention, while optimizing their sleep quality and quantity. Athletes demonstrated their abilities to navigate challenges, and utilized different coping strategies in response to the lockdown's constraints.

Practicing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences of Canadian Hospital-Based Occupational Therapists.

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted hospital operations worldwide, including services delivered by occupational therapists (OTs). Purpose. This study aimed to understand the experiences of OTs at one Canadian, tertiary care hospital during the 2021-2022 period of the pandemic. Method. We used a qualitative descriptive approach to describe the experiences of OTs during the pandemic. Findings. While there were similarities in the 10 participating OTs' experiences, salient differences were largely linked to the method of service delivery. Inpatient OTs benefitted from the support of colleagues and developed coping strategies in response to high levels of workplace stress and anxiety and a perceived lack of support from many levels of society. Clinically, they spent more time on discharge planning with fewer resources. OTs providing virtual/hybrid services experienced unique challenges related to adapting their practice to a virtual platform, including challenges assessing patients. They described benefits associated with virtual/hybrid service delivery and brought up concerns around equity of service provision. Conclusion. OTs in this hospital setting faced challenges in providing patient care and supporting their own wellness during the pandemic. Future research could explore the role of leadership in supporting occupational therapy practice during public health emergencies.

Abstract P237: Relationships Among Perceived Stress, Hair Cortisol Concentration, Coping Strategies, and Blood Pressure in Young, Low-Income Adults

Introduction: Young adults living in poverty typically experience more stressors with greater severity and chronicity and are at an increased risk for developing high blood pressure at an earlier age than other populations. However, the mechanisms linking chronic stress to elevated blood pressure are not fully understood. Certain coping strategies may be more adaptive than others in easing the burden of stress on the cardiovascular system over time. Understanding how young, low-income adults use various coping strategies in response to stress may contribute to a better understanding of the influence of stress on cardiovascular health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the associations among perceived stress, hair cortisol concentration (HCC), coping strategies, and blood pressure among a sample of young, low-income adults. Methods: A secondary analysis of baseline data from a quasi-experimental trial and a cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted. PROCESS version 4 for SPSS 28 (Model 80) was used to conduct path analysis modeling to assess the relationships among perceived stress (measured by the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale [PSS-10]), hair cortisol concentration (HCC), coping strategies (emotion-focused, problem-focused, and avoidant measured by the Brief COPE), and blood pressure (SBP/DBP) among a sample of young adults with an annual household income below the 2022 U.S. federal poverty level. Results: A total of 63 individuals (mean age = 29.7 ± 5.1 years, 96.8% female, 60.3% White), were included in this study. There was a small, negative association between perceived stress and HCC ( B = -0.02, p = 0.02); however, perceived stress and HCC were both positively associated with SBP and DBP (all p s < 0.05). Emotion-focused coping was negatively associated with HCC, while problem-focused and avoidant coping were positively associated with HCC ( p s < 0.05). There was a negative indirect effect of perceived stress on SBP through emotion-focused coping and HCC ( B = -0.14, 95% CI: -0.309, -0.007), while a positive indirect effect of perceived stress on SBP through problem-focused coping and HCC was observed ( B = 0.09, 95% CI: 0.002, 0.245). Similarly, the indirect effects of perceived stress on both SBP and DBP through avoidant coping and HCC were positive and significant (SBP: B = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.043, 0.427; DBP: B = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.015, 0.332). Conclusions: Overall, this study's findings highlight the importance of coping on the relationship between stress and blood pressure within a low-income population. Emotion-focused coping appears to be more adaptive for this population compared to problem-focused and avoidant strategies. Future research, especially studies measuring these constructs over time, is needed to confirm these findings and to comprehensively understand the complex relationships among stress, coping, and blood pressure.

Coping with disruptive patients: Perspectives of primary care employees.

The impact of patient aggression on primary health care employees is underexplored, yet imperative to address, given high rates of burnout. We qualitatively explore perceptions of patient aggression among staff in women's health primary care at the Veterans Health Administration (VA). Our objective is to identify coping strategies that staf devised in response to aggressive behavior. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 60 VA women's health primary care employees in 2021 and 2022. Informed by the Job Demands-Resources theoretical model, we used rapid qualitative analysis to identify themes related to patient aggression and employee coping strategies. Disruptive behaviors reported by participants included verbal and physical aggression. Staff cited disruptive patient behavior as emotionally draining and perceived a lack of consequences for low-level aggression. Respondents used coping strategies in response to patient aggression at three time points: before, during, and after a negative interaction. At each point, support from team members emerged as a dominant coping mechanism, as well as rapport-building with patients. Patient aggression can negatively impact the work experiences of primary care employees. At VA, women's health primary care staff have devised multiple strategies to cope with these interactions. However, the ability to effectively prevent and manage patient aggression is limited by the lack of meaningful repercussions for aggression at the organizational level, which has important implications for employee well-being and retention. Retention of women's health employees in VA is critical given the need for a highly specialized workforce to address the complex health needs of women veterans.

Coping profiles of adolescent football players and association with interpersonal coping: Do emotional competence and psychological need satisfaction matter?

Using a person-centered approach, the present study aimed to investigate the coping profiles of adolescent football players involved in elite football training centers. The purposes were to (1) identify coping profiles based on the reported use of multiple coping strategies in response to competitive stress, (2) explore whether emotional competencies and psychological need satisfaction would predict coping profile membership, and (3) examine the extent to which coping profiles were differently associated with individual and team perceived stress, interpersonal coping, and subjective team performance, as well as demographic characteristics. A sample of 416 young French football players (males = 282; females = 134; Mage = 16.2; SDage = 1.2) from 12 elite football training centers participated in this study. Latent profile analysis results yielded three coping profiles allowing players to be grouped according to their preferences for a combined use of certain strategies (i.e., low copers, high disengaged copers, and high task copers). Results provided further insight into each coping profile membership by indicating the role played by intrapersonal emotional competence and psychological need satisfaction. Finally, differences between coping profiles have been shown in terms of individual perceived stress intensity, interpersonal coping approach, and gender. These findings provide a deeper understanding of adaptive coping profiles within a population of adolescent football players involved in elite training centers. Implications for developing and tailoring psychoeducational interventions for adolescent football players exhibiting a maladaptive coping profile (i.e., disengagement-oriented coping profile) are considered.

Coping strategies in response to peer victimization: Comparing adolescents in the United States and Korea.

We examined cultural specificity in how adolescents' coping strategies in response to peer victimization are associated with adjustment with a sample of 7th-8th graders from the United States (n = 292, 60% female, Mage = 13.6, SD = 0.65) and South Korea (n = 462, 50.2% female, Mage = 13.7, SD = 0.58). Participants read scenarios describing victimization and rated the likelihood of utilizing different coping strategies. US adolescents rated conflict resolution, cognitive distancing, and revenge higher than Korean adolescents, while Korean adolescents endorsed social support seeking more than US adolescents. Social support seeking was positively associated with global self-worth in both countries; however, social support seeking was negatively related to depression and social anxiety only for Korean youth.

Innate Root Exudates Contributed to Contrasting Coping Strategies in Response to Ralstonia solanacearum in Resistant and Susceptible Tomato Cultivars.

Tomato cultivars with contrasting resistance to pathogens regulate root exudates differentially in response to Ralstonia solanacearum attacks. However, strategies using innate root exudates against infection remain unknown. This study analyzed the innate root exudates of two tomato cultivars and their functions in regulating R. solanacearum infection. The innate root exudates differed between the two cultivars. Astaxanthin released from resistant plants inhibited colonization by R. solanacearum but promoted motility, while neferine released from susceptible plants suppressed motility and colonization. The secretion of astaxanthin in resistant tomatoes promoted the growth of biocontrol fungi in soil and reduced the abundance of pathogenic fungi. Neferine secreted by the susceptible cultivar inhibited the relative abundance of the bacterial-biocontrol-related Bacillus genus, indirectly reducing the soil's immune capacity. This study revealed contrasting strategies using root exudates in resistant and susceptible tomato cultivars to cope with R. solanacearum infection, providing a basis for breeding disease-resistant cultivars.

An assessment of appraisals of dating relationship conflicts and perceptions of appropriate coping strategies with psychologically abusive interactions.

Stemming from a stress appraisal and coping perspective, the present investigation developed a methodology for assessing how individuals appraise abusive dating relationship conflicts (Study 1) and the implications of such appraisals for informing coping responses to abusive interactions (Study 2). Participants ranging in age from 17 to 29 years (Study 1: 102 males, 339 females; Study 2: 88 males, 362 females) completed a survey in which they were presented with a series of 10 scenarios that conveyed relationship conflict cues that were ostensibly aligned with various forms of psychological abuse. Factor analyses indicated that blatant actions conducted in privacy were differentiated from more ambiguous public forms of psychological abuse, in that the latter were appraised by both males and females as more abusive. Females were further likely to appraise blatant conflicts as more threatening but at the same time more resolvable. Participants who had encountered abuse in their own intimate relationships were especially likely to appraise conflicts as abusive, threatening and uncontrollable. Such appraisals were associated with greater endorsement of avoidant coping strategies in response to an abusive encounter, irrespective of personal relationship experiences. It is suggested that how individuals appraise relationship conflicts may be key to their ability to cope effectively with such encounters or to provide appropriate support to those experiencing psychologically abusive relationships.

Coping with racial discrimination: a preliminary examination of coping strategies in college students at a University in Northeastern U.S

Objective We examined the associations between coping strategies in response to racism and distress symptoms. Sample One hundred forty-four racially minoritized students at a northeastern university completed an online survey. Methods Participants completed self-report active and emotion-focused coping and distress symptom (i.e., depression and anxiety) measures. Hierarchical regressions were conducted to test: 1) correlations between coping strategies in response to racism and distress symptoms, and 2) whether emotional acceptance moderates the association between active coping in response to racism and distress symptoms. Results Students’ self-compassionate responses to their emotional reactions to discrimination uniquely predicted less distress. In contrast, reports of using resistance and education in response to discrimination were positively correlated with distress symptoms; however, these associations were no longer significant when accounting for emotional acceptance. Conclusions Our findings suggest that emotional acceptance coping may be associated with lower distress symptoms. Active coping was associated with increased distress symptoms, except when accounting for emotional acceptance coping.

Animals in Search of Stimulation and Information: A Review of over 10 years of our Research on Spontaneous Exploration in Rats as a Response to Novelty in Low-Stress Paradigm

This article comprehensively reviews our studies that analyzed novelty-related behaviors in rats. We developed and utilized techniques and equipment during these studies to ensure our findings' high ecological validity. We allowed rats to explore a testing apparatus freely, and after a long habituation phase consisting of multiple trials, we introduced non-emotionally arousing changes. The research shows that rats demonstrate enhanced abilities in processing and responding to heightened environmental complexity, as evidenced across various studies. Conversely, when environmental complexity diminishes, rats exhibit reduced exploratory behaviors and decreased cognitive effort despite the adaptive importance of such behaviors. Of particular interest is the observation that rats exhibit greater sensitivity to emerging opportunities in contrast to their limited responsiveness to diminishing ones, unveiling a novel facet of the animal mind that warrants further investigation. The influence of individual experiences before testing sessions on the processing of sensory input in terms of complexity is also determined. Our studies highlight the noteworthy impact of environmental unpredictability versus stability on cognitive development, affecting behaviors like food neophobia and exploration. Furthermore, the social environment during development holds wide-ranging implications for individual characteristics, necessitating continued research and refinement of our understanding in this domain. Moreover, the studies recognize strain and species differences in novelty-related behavior, primarily characterized by quantitative variations that do not overshadow the animals' coping strategies in response to environmental changes. Additionally, curiosity is portrayed as an active approach to seeking and processing environmental affordances, with exploratory behaviors fulfilling this cognitive and motivational need. The authors underscore the significance of ecological validity in test methodologies, particularly in designing environments that authentically invite and encourage pertinent behavioral responses. In summary, this research enhances our insight into rat cognition, underscores the role of curiosity, and underscores the imperative of ecological validity in experimental design, ultimately advancing our comprehension of animal behavior and cognition.

Potential impacts of Russo-Ukraine conflict and its psychological consequences among Ukrainian adults: the post-COVID-19 era.

Since February 2022, the nation of Ukraine has become entangled in an escalating conflict that erupted after coronavirus outbreak fostering a situation of indeterminacy and precariousness, which adversely affected several facets, especially psychological well-being. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the psychological well-being of Ukrainians during the Russo-Ukraine war, as well as their coping strategies in response to the war's repercussions. Consequently, this investigation endeavors to explore the prevalence of symptoms associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia and to correlate these symptoms with Ukrainians' effective coping mechanisms during the ongoing war. An online survey was administered in Ukraine from June to August 2022 due to the ongoing Russo-Ukraine conflict. The survey employed a quota sampling technique, targeting 2,664 individuals (≥18 years). Out of the total sample, 1,833 valid responses were obtained, yielding a response rate of 68. 81%. Depression, anxiety, and stress were measured using the depression, anxiety, and stress scale-21 (DASS-21), while the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) was utilized to evaluate insomnia symptoms. In addition, Brief-COPE was adopted to evaluate the coping mechanisms of the selected study participants. Of 1,833 Ukrainian adults, 60.5% had symptoms of stress; 62.4% of them reported symptoms of anxiety; and 58.2% reported symptoms of depression. Symptom criteria for insomnia were found in about 21.8% of the study sample. The factors of sex, living area, area occupied by Russian forces, and having older adults and children in the house were statistically significant with symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia. The productive coping strategies of self-distraction, using instrumental support, planning, and behavioral disengagement, were observed as statistically significant with four psychological constructs. The study outcomes highlight a substantial prevalence of symptoms related to depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia attributed to the accumulated consequences of ongoing conflict and the COVID-19 outbreak. The aforementioned findings emphasize the imperative of providing healthcare services and facilitating effective coping strategies among Ukrainians amid the ongoing war.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in a pandemic: A systematic review of pandemic risk impacts, coping strategies and resilience

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are particularly vulnerable to pandemics. Therefore, resilience and adaptation to shocks from pandemics such as COVID-19 are urgently needed. However, despite some coping strategies already in place among SMEs, research on their nature and effectiveness is limited. Thus, it remains unclear how effectively and sustainably documented coping strategies reduce SMEs' vulnerability and increase their resilience to pandemic risk. This article reviews academic literature for evidence of pandemic risk impacts on SMEs, coping strategies in response to these impacts, and the degree to which these strategies reduce SMEs' vulnerability and increase their resilience. According to the literature review, seven essential pandemic risk impacts were identified for SMEs - human movement restrictions, financial constraints, operational challenges, logistics difficulties, delayed business reopening, short-term policy focus and tacit knowledge workers. The study also outlined eleven critical coping strategies, notably structural or physical and behavioural changes. Study analysis reveals that resilience research among SMEs is predominantly conceptual with limited empirical evidence. To conclude, this study urges more adaptation research focused on developing new forms of pandemic risk education for SMEs addressing their complexities.

Unveiling the nitrogen removal performance from microbial network establishment in vertical flow constructed wetlands

The combined effects of substrate types (natural zeolite or shale ceramsite) and hydraulic retention time (HRT, 3-day or 6-day) on nutrient removal and microbial co-occurrence networks in vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) remains to be elucidated. In this study, zeolite-packed VFCWs demonstrated superior removal rates, achieving 93.65% removal of NH4+-N and 83.84% removal of COD at 6-day HRT. The activity and establishment of microbial community were influenced by combined operating conditions. The abundances of Amx, amoA, nxrA, and nosZ genes increased with longer HRTs in zeolite-packed VFCWs. Additionally, a 6-day HRT significantly increased the relative abundances of Proteobacteria and Nitrospirae. At the species level, zeolite-packed VFCWs exhibited ecological niche sharing as a coping strategy in response to environment changes, while ceramsite-packed VFCWs displayed ecological niche differentiation. Both zeolite-packed and ceramsite-packed VFCWs established functional networks of nitrogen-transforming genera that utilized ecological niche differentiation strategies.

Occupational stress and coping strategies of library and information science professionals in Jammu and Kashmir, India

Occupational stress is a physical and psychological condition that can have negative effects. Librarians undergo significant levels of occupational stress. The study assessed levels of occupational stress and different coping strategies in response to it. 37.7 % of library and information science professionals in Jammu and Kashmir have low occupational stress, 32.6 % moderate, and 29.7 % a high level of occupational stress. It was confirmed that these professionals utilize both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies to manage stress. However, the prevalence of emotion-focused coping is more noticeable among them. Role overload, low status, interpersonal problems, lack of respect, and other factors were identified as elements causing occupational stress. Occupational stress and coping strategies displayed a weak yet positive relationship.

Psychological and cognitive factors involved in decision-making process of haemophilia carriers in reproductive choices.

Haemophilia carriers (HCs) face a multitude of psychological challenges, mainly linked to the possibility of having an affected child. Important reproductive decisions such as opting for pre-implantation genetic testing, or choosing prenatal diagnosis and then whether to continue or interrupt pregnancy in case of affected male fetus, have to be taken into consideration. Notwithstanding, the role of psychological characteristics on such decision-making process needs further investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether HCs' beliefs and emotions about haemophilia and cognitive factors such as decision-making style, risk perception, coping strategies in response to stress, and need for cognitive closure might modulate HCs' reproductive decisions. Participants were interviewed about their beliefs and emotions on haemophilia and filled an on-line standardized questionnaire on cognitive variables. Sixty HCs participated in this study. Results show that HCs with high distress for haemophilia given by negative childhood experiences for one or more family member illness and by high concern for their children's health, and with psychological traits characterized by logical (versus emotional) reasoning, active coping style and high need for certainty, tend to choose diagnostic prenatal tests over routine pregnancy analysis. This study highlighted the influence of negative early-life experience with haemophilia and of several cognitive factors in HCs choice of prenatal test.

“I stretch them out as long as possible:” U.S. women’s experiences of menstrual product insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundA growing body of evidence highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated gender inequalities in the US. This resulted in women being more vulnerable to economic insecurity and decreases in their overall well-being. One relevant issue that has been less explored is that of women’s menstrual health experiences, including how inconsistent access to menstrual products may negatively impact their daily lives.MethodsThis qualitative study, conducted from March through May 2021, utilized in-depth interviews that were nested within a national prospective cohort study. The interviews (n = 25) were conducted with a sub-sample of cis-gender women living across the US who had reported challenges accessing products during the first year of the pandemic. The interviews sought to understand the barriers that contributed to experiencing menstrual product insecurity, and related coping mechanisms. Malterud’s ‘systematic text condensation’, an inductive thematic analysis method, was utilized to analyze the qualitative transcripts.ResultsRespondents came from 17 different states across the U.S. Three key themes were identified: financial and physical barriers existed to consistent menstrual product access; a range of coping strategies in response to menstrual product insecurity, including dependence on makeshift and poorer quality materials; and heightened experiences of menstrual-related anxiety and shame, especially regarding the disclosure of their menstruating status to others as a result of inadequate menstrual leak protection.ConclusionsAddressing menstrual product insecurity is a critical step for ensuring that all people who menstruate can attain their most basic menstrual health needs. Key recommendations for mitigating the impact of menstrual product insecurity require national and state-level policy reform, such as the inclusion of menstrual products in existing safety net basic needs programs, and the reframing of menstrual products as essential items. Improved education and advocacy are needed to combat menstrual stigma.

Public coping discourse in response to government health crisis communication

PurposeThis study aims to explore public coping strategies with government-imposed lockdown restrictions (i.e. forced compliance) due to a health crisis (i.e. COVID-19). This directly impacts the public's power, as they may feel alienated from their environment and from others. Consequently, this study explores the relationships between the public's power, quality of life and crisis-coping strategies. This is important to help governments understand public discourse surrounding perceived government health crisis communication, which aids effective policy development.Design/methodology/approachAn online questionnaire distributed via Qualtrics received 371 responses from the South African public and structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicate the public's experience of powerlessness and resulting information-sharing, negative word-of-mouth and support-seeking as crisis coping strategies in response to government-imposed lockdown restrictions.Originality/valueThe public's perspective on health crisis communication used in this study sheds light on adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies that the public employs due to the alienation they feel during a health crisis with government-forced compliance. The findings add to the sparse research on crisis communication from the public perspective in a developing country context and provide insights for governments in developing health crisis communication strategies. The results give insight into developing policies related to community engagement and citizen participation during a pandemic.

My ‘Perfect’ Dog: Undesired Dog Behaviours and Owners’ Coping Styles

Abstract Research continues to shed light on the benefits associated with dog ownership. However, we know virtually nothing about how undesired dog behaviours impact young people’s behavioural and perceptive experiences with their dogs. Understanding these impacts is important because it can offer a more nuanced understanding of the effects of dog ownership. This exploratory study applied a qualitative methodology to examine young people’s perceptions about their dog’s behavioural issues, along with a focus on young people’s coping styles. Seven participants aged between 17 and 26 years engaged in semi-structured in-depth one-on-one interviews about their experiences with their dogs and their coping strategies in response to undesired dog behaviours. Thematic coding identified the following salient themes in participants’ responses which were subsequently explored in detail: (1) severity of dogs’ behavioural issues, (2) participants’ coping styles, (3) the relationship between the dog’s behavioural issues and the participant, (4) participants’ emotional reactions, (5) participants’ self-evaluation – insights – of their coping styles, and (6) similarities between participants’ coping styles with humans to whom they are close and those used with their dogs. Findings from this study indicate that young people prefer proactive coping styles when coping with undesired behaviours in their dogs. This study’s findings also indicate that the severity of dogs’ behavioural issues is associated with young people’s emotions (e.g., more severe behavioural issues seem to elicit more intense emotions). The significance of these findings for practice in the field of human-animal interactions is discussed.

Technological complexity and employee silence: The buffering role of social support

BACKGROUND: The increase of technological complexity at the workplace has encouraged researchers to pay more attention to the stress employees experience while constantly learning and adapting to new technologies. This study considers employee silence as a passive coping strategy in response to technological complexity. OBJECTIVE: This study examines whether self-efficacy mediates the effect of technological complexity on employee silence (i.e., quiescence and acquiescence) and whether social support interacts with technological complexity to influence self-efficacy and thereby employee silence. METHODS: Using a web-based survey, the data were collected from 206 full-time employees working in different sectors in France. RESULTS: Results indicate that technological complexity is positively associated with employee silence (i.e., quiescence and acquiescence silence) and that self-efficacy mediates the effect of technological complexity on employee silence. However, the effects of technological complexity are less pronounced when individuals have access to a large pool of social support. CONCLUSION: Managers are encouraged to introduce HR policies that motivate employees to speak up about the use of complex technology at the workplace by leveraging different social support programs.

Shan Female Sex Workers’ Vulnerabilities and Coping Strategies in Response to COVID-19 in Chiang Mai, Thailand

The Thailand government has marginalized, criminalized, and discriminated against migrant sex workers for decades and the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased the vulnerability of sex workers to hardship. Using a mixed research methodology including interviews, this article outlines the risks Shan sex workers in northern Thailand faced during the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020, their vulnerability contexts, and their coping strategies, including how institutional aid and existing assets impacted their livelihoods. Our findings reveal that Shan sex workers in Thailand have suffered primarily from oppressive laws and social stigma. They were excluded from government COVID-19 mitigation measures such as health services, compensation, and economic support. Identifying vulnerability factors highlights the difficulties of both systemic and individual-level responses, leading to suggestions for policymaking to improve the quality of sex workers’ lives. This study reveals that Shan sex workers are still being left behind and discriminated against in Thailand, but they have persevered to speak their minds and struggle to live through the COVID-19 crisis. There is an urgent need for Thailand authorities to decriminalize sex work and restructure the social security system so that it is inclusive for migrants. Keywords: Shan, Sex workers, COVID-19, Vulnerability, Coping strategy, Chiang Mai.