Emotion-focussed Coping Research Articles

Resilience, coping and Personal Factors of medical students at a Public University; Karachi, Pakistan.

To assess resilience levels of medical students, identify factors associated with it, and explore association between coping styles and resilience level among medical students. The analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, from February to June 2022, and comprised medical students regardless of gender and the academic year. Data was collected using self-administered socio-demographic form, Brief Resilience Scale and Brief Cope. Data was analysed using SPSS 28. Out the 301 participants, 197(65.4%) were females and 104(34.6%) were males. The overall mean age was 20.7±1.849 years. Of the total, 132(43.9%) students had low resilience, with males having better resilience compared to females (p<0.001). Higher resilience was seen in year 1 students compared to those of clinical years (p=0.029). There was a significant positive correlation between high resilience and problem-focussed coping, while a significant negative correlation was found between resilience and avoidant and emotionally focussed strategies (p<0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between resilience levels and age (p<0.025). There was a significant difference in resilience scores with respect to the last grade point average, sleep hours, and hours spent studying (p<0.05). More than one-third medical students demonstrated low resilience, and the majority reported adopting emotion-focussed coping style.

A bright side of adversity? A systematic review on posttraumatic growth among refugees.

Until the third trimester of 2022, 103 million people worldwide had been forced to leave their homes and become refugees. The traumatic experiences of refugees can lead not only to mental disorders but also to Posttraumatic Growth (PTG). (1) To find the variables positively and negatively associated with PTG in refugees. (2) To investigate the relationship between PTG and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among refugees. We systematically searched Medline, Web of Knowledge, PsycInfo, Scopus, and PTSD Pubs for studies about PTG in refugees. Epidemiological studies using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Grey literature, reviews, and meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed by the 'The Joanna Briggs Institute Prevalence Critical Appraisal Tool'. We included 24 studies investigating PTG and associated factors. The factors positively associated with PTG were social support, regular migration status, religiosity, satisfaction with life, time, and problem-focussed and emotion-focussed coping. The factors negatively associated with PTG were: irregular migration status, emotional suppression, and avoidance coping. Studies on PTG in refugees are essential to finding new ways to address mental health in this field. Few studies offered risk of bias, particularly regarding the sample selection. We conclude that PTG may be influenced by many factors and it would be of importance that the centres for support, as well as public policies, took that into account to foster the outcome and not only to focus on disease. This study was partially supported by CAPES and registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020215607).

Coping and depressive symptoms in family carers of dependent adults aged 18 and over: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Being a family carer is associated with increased risk of experiencing depressive symptoms. Despite many decades of research investigating the association between coping strategies and depressive symptoms in carers results across studies remain contradictory. The objective of this study was to systematically review evidence on the association between depressive symptoms and coping strategies in carers of dependent people aged 18 and over and investigate potential sources of heterogeneity of findings. The study design was a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched Pubmed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and LILACS up to April 2021. We performed meta-analyses following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and several subgroup analyses to investigate whether cause of caring dependency, study design, and controlling for several biases influenced results. Fifty-nine studies met our inclusion criteria. We found a robust and statistically significant association between greater use of dysfunctional coping and higher depressive symptoms. Greater use of emotion-focussed coping was associated with fewer depressive symptoms only in studies controlling for confounding bias. Use of problem-focussed coping was related to fewer depressive symptoms in carers of frail older people. The combined use of both problem-focussed and emotion-focussed coping was associated with lower symptoms of depression. Our review concludes that the broad domain of dysfunctional coping is consistently associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms in carers. After controlling for confounders, emotion-focussed coping and several of its individual strategies were consistently associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Whilst problem-focussed coping and some of its individual strategies are also associated with lower depressive symptoms, these strategies may not be as helpful in all caregiving groups.

Thinking Aloud. A qualitative analysis of stressors and coping responses in cricket bowlers during a competitive match

ABSTRACT Stressors and coping in cricket bowlers have yet to be explicitly examined. The present study aimed to investigate stressors and coping verbalisations of cricket bowlers during a competitive match using a Think Aloud (TA) method. TA provides access to a participant’s immediate short-term memory and overcomes limitations associated with retrospective methods such as recall bias and memory decay. Six semi-elite club level cricket bowlers were selected to verbalise their thoughts during a bowling spell in a real-life competitive match using TA. Verbalisations were recorded using an audio device and transcripts were thematically analysed to generate relevant stressors and coping themes. Findings indicated stressors and coping strategies varied throughout cricket bowling performance. Results also highlighted how stressors and coping responses represent a dynamic and recursive process and do not occur in isolation of one of another. Stressors were made up of organisational and competitive stressors and coping responses were coded using problem-focussed coping and emotion-focussed coping strategies. The findings from this study have extended previous literature by further understanding the stressors and coping responses of cricket bowlers by adopting a novel method of data collection, within an ecologically valid environment of real-life cricket competition. Applied implications and future research suggestions are discussed accordingly within the concluding remarks.

Assessment of coping with stress in patients with Schizophrenia in a Community Mental Health Centre, in Turkey.

To assess schizophrenia patients' approach toward coping with stress in terms of demographic variables. The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the State Hospital Community Mental Health Centre, Turkey, from November 1, 2013, to April 30, 2014 and comprised patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Data was collected using Sociodemographic Information Form and the Coping Assessment Questionnaire Inventory. It was analysed using SPSS 18. Of the 53 patients, 14(26.4%) were females and 39(73.5%) were males. The overall mean age was 38±10.66 years. Highest mean score was recorded for the emotion-focussed coping subscale which was 63.49±10.64. Female patients used emotional social support, focussing on problems and venting emotions techniques (p<0.05). Patients who did not use alcohol received higher scores from religious coping subscales, while patients who used alcohol scored higher from substance use and dysfunctional coping subscales (p<0.05). Most schizophrenia patients were found to be using emotion-focussed coping methods.

How Religious Jewish and Muslim Students of Social Work Cope in a Secular College

Abstract The social work profession’s worldview, which is expressed through education and practice, is ‘almost exclusively secular in colour and context’. This qualitative study in the phenomenological tradition of ten religious Jewish and ten religious Arab-Muslim students of social work in Israel found that both groups coped similarly with the secularity, despite their ethnic, national and religious differences. Most of them adopted emotion-focussed coping strategies that isolated them from their academic surroundings. The religious students who adopted a problem-focussed strategy opened themselves to new knowledge. Knowing about these strategies may help faculty and other personnel in social work schools not only to be better acquainted with this minority but also to provide an environment that is receptive to and respectful of the religious student.

The demoralisation of nurses and medical doctors working in the emergency department: A qualitative descriptive study

AimTo explore emergency department clinicians (nurses and medical doctors) perceptions of stressors and coping strategies in their work environment. MethodsA descriptive qualitative design was adopted. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with medical and nursing personnel working in one Australian emergency department. A thematic inductive approach was used for analysis. FindingsFour key themes emerged regarding perceptions of and factors that influenced stressors around the emergency department working environment: i) workload and departmental activity, ii) lack of support; iii) inadequate resourcing; and iv) a mis-match between societal, organisational and staff expectations. The overlap between these themes is such that an overarching theme of ‘demoralisation in the workforce’ can be described. Staff reported both problem- and emotion-focussed coping strategies with varying levels of self-perceived effectiveness. The foci of solutions proposed by participants typically addressed the source of the stressors. ConclusionExposure to occupational stressors remains problematic for emergency department clinicians. Continued exposure can, in some instances, result in demoralisation of the workforce. Immediate attention to causes and effects of occupational stress and demoralisation is warranted. Implementing tailored strategies has the potential to ameliorate effects of occupational stressors.

Development of a revised Jalowiec Coping Scale for use by emergency clinicians: a cross-sectional scale development study

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to develop and validate a scale to measure the coping strategies used by emergency staff in response to workplace stress. To achieve this aim,...

Navigating emotion in HR work: caring for ourselves?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how human resource (HR) practitioners subjectively experience emotions in their working lives and how they navigate emotionally challenging work. Design/methodology/approach A narrative methodology and participant-led photo-elicitation methods were used with five HR practitioners from different sectors to uncover experiences of emotion in their work. Findings Participants describe themselves as perceived by non-HR employees as non-emotional human beings, expected to “take” emotional expression from others, but to display little themselves. HR practitioners use emotion-focussed coping strategies, both self and team-care, to cope with the emotionally challenging work inherent in their role. Research limitations/implications As a pilot study of five participants, further research is needed to strengthen the findings; however, the in-depth qualitative methods used provide rich insight into their working lives. Practical implications HR practitioners’ well-being should not be taken for granted or overlooked in organisations. Opportunities for informal networking with HR communities and training/coaching interventions could provide support on approaches to the emotional challenges faced. Originality/value This paper provides insights into how HR practitioners experience the challenges of their work, in contrast to mainstream research emphasising the impact of human resource management policy and practices on employees and organisations. Attention is drawn to the subjective experience of emotion, rather than the mainstream objectification, managerialisation and generalisation of emotion.

Coping and adjustment in caregivers: A systematic review.

This systematic review assessed coping and adjustment in caregivers of all ages to provide a synthesis of existing literature in the context of methodological approaches and underlying theory. Four databases were searched. Reference lists, citations and experts were consulted. In total, 27 studies (13 quantitative and 14 qualitative) were included. Coping factors associated with adjustment (problem- versus emotion-focussed coping and cognitive strategies) and psychosocial factors associated with physiological adjustment (trait anxiety, coping style and social support) were identified. Results raised methodological issues. Future research requires physiological adjustment measures and longitudinal assessment of the long-term impact of childhood caregiving. Findings inform future caregiver research and interventions.

Abuse on online labour markets: targets’ coping, power and control

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report a study of targets’ experiences of cyberbullying on online labour markets (OLMs). In addition to highlighting the link between targets’ coping and power and control, the paper compares conventional and digital workplaces.Design/methodology/approachThe method of critical hermeneutic phenomenology is used in the inquiry, bringing political and applied dimensions into the study. Targets’ lived experiences, developed as case studies, were explored via conversational interviews. Thematic analysis was undertaken ideographically, followed by ideology-critique at a nomothetic level. Adopting the psychological/behavioural lens of coping theory, ideology-critique identified micro-level schemas and macro-level ideologies that perpetuate target disenfranchisement. Critical hermeneutic phenomenology illuminates the mutuality between individual and social processes, opening new doors to address power inequities through emancipation.FindingsHermeneutic phenomenology uncovered the core theme of “pursuing holistic and long-term well-being”, capturing targets’ attempts at working through their experiences of bullying without jeopardising their position on the OLM. Ideology-critique went beyond highlighting problem-focussed and emotion-focussed coping strategies that empowered targets to indicate how participants’ mindsets, anchored in ongoing circumstantial discourses and long-standing social cognitions, inhibited them from questioning the status quo and exploring alternative coping strategies like legislation and collectivisation, thereby curbing their agency. The findings were theorised in terms of power and control vis-à-vis the unique attributes of workplace cyberbullying, comparing and contrasting conventional and virtual workplaces.Research limitations/implicationsThe inquiry is limited to the Upwork platform. Including other OLMs will enhance theoretical generalisability.Practical implicationsThe study feeds into praxis by alerting digital workers in general and targets in particular about their circumstances, setting the stage for mobilisation.Originality/valueThe study makes several pioneering contributions. First, it reports the first empirical inquiry examining bullying in digital workplaces, importantly, also extending knowledge on cyberbullying across conventional versus digital workplaces. Moreover, OLM research on abuse and harassment has not been undertaken so far. Second, methodologically, the inquiry illustrates the combination of hermeneutic phenomenology with ideology-critique, taking the rare steps of joining ontological perspectives conventionally viewed as divergent and of incorporating a largely neglected micro-level focus into ideology-critique. Third, it furthers theoretical insights into power and control in workplace bullying while drawing links with coping.

Life after Bushfire: Post-Traumatic Stress, Coping, Post-Traumatic Growth

Introduction Research suggests that post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms are common after the experience of bushfire. However, the ways in which individuals cope with, positively grow from, and find benefit in the adverse circumstances of bushfire in Australia has not been adequately explored. The main objective of this study is to assess the relationship between PTS, coping strategies and post-traumatic growth, in a sample of Australian community members affected by a bushfire event. Methods Sixty-five participants (mean age 40.66 years, SD=13.57), who had previously experienced a bushfire event in Australia, responded to an anonymous online survey. Results Results indicated that greater PTS was associated with the use of all coping strategies, as well as higher levels of post-traumatic growth. The use of coping strategies was associated with higher levels of post-traumatic growth. Hierarchical regression analyses found that post-traumatic growth and avoidant coping explained significant amounts of unique variance in PTS, whereas PTS and emotion-focussed coping explained significant amounts of unique variance in post-traumatic growth. Conclusion In communities that are seasonally threatened by bushfires, our findings suggest that not only are post-disaster stress reduction interventions required, but so too are preparedness programs that include strategies for promoting growth and positive adaptation. It is suggested further research should address implications for strength-based preparedness and recovery programs in bushfire prone areas.

Coping style and gender effects on attitudinal responses to incivility

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine whether emotion- and problem-focussed employee coping styles affect the relationship between workplace incivility and job attitudes (job satisfaction, sense of community), and whether these effects vary by gender.Design/methodology/approach– Survey methodology was used to obtain self-report data from a sample of 314 working adults (90 percent Hispanic, 62 percent female) enrolled in courses at a public university.Findings– Targets of workplace incivility experienced lower job satisfaction and sense of community at work. Employees who typically used problem-focussed coping (PFC) to respond to work stressors experienced greater negative outcomes associated with incivility. Mixed results were found for employees who typically engaged in emotion-focussed coping (EFC) at work: frequent use of avoidant coping and religious coping buffered against the impact of incivility, however, support seeking coping styles strengthened the negative outcomes associated with incivility. These effects varied by gender.Practical implications– The results highlight the benefits of two EFC styles (religious coping, avoidance coping) in the context of workplace incivility. The findings also indicate limitations of PFC and support seeking coping in the context of incivility. Accordingly, the authors make suggestions for managers to facilitate employees to overcome problems of incivility.Originality/value– Few studies have investigated qualities that enable employees to effectively manage incivility. Further, the role of coping styles in relation to incivility is relatively unexplored. To address these gaps, the authors examined the extent to which PFC and EFC styles impact the relationship between incivility and work attitudes.

The impact of neuropsychological functioning and coping style on perceived stress in individuals with first-episode psychosis and healthy controls

Stress is implicated in the development and course of psychotic illness, but the factors that influence stress levels are not well understood. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of neuropsychological functioning and coping styles on perceived stress in people with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and healthy controls (HC). Thirty-four minimally treated FEP patients from the Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre, Melbourne, Australia, and 26 HC participants from a similar demographic area participated in the study. Participants completed a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery as well as the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (task-, emotion- and avoidance-focussed coping styles) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Linear regressions were used to determine the contribution of neuropsychological functioning and coping style to perceived stress in the two groups. In the FEP group, higher levels of emotion-focussed and lower levels of task-focussed coping were associated with elevated stress. Higher premorbid IQ and working memory were also associated with higher subjective stress. In the HC group, higher levels of emotion-focussed coping, and contrary to the FEP group, lower premorbid IQ, working memory and executive functioning, were associated with increased stress. Lower intellectual functioning may provide some protection against perceived stress in FEP.

When the shoe doesn’t fit: female consumers’ negative emotions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and map out consumer emotions and their triggers and coping strategies practiced when the consumer has a dissatisfactory footwear product experience. Design/methodology/approach – A content analysis approach was employed to determine various types of consumer emotions and coping strategies and organize them into content categories in a systematic fashion. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 female consumers. Findings – The researchers propose a typology of emotional triggers in the pre- and post-purchase stages which describe consumers’ dissatisfactory purchase experiences with footwear products. Three negative emotional triggers in the pre-purchase stage were identified, including the act of shoe shopping itself, poor availability of products, and unfair return on investment. Negative emotional triggers that caused consumers’ stresses in the post-purchase stage included uncertainty in outcome and unmet expectation. Problem- and emotion-focussed coping strategies were also identified. Research limitations/implications – This study used snowball sampling for locating a hidden consumer population that was dissatisfied with footwear products. Although the number of interviewees was appropriate for a qualitative study, the size limits generalization of study findings. Practical implications – Implications of this study for the footwear industry are to provide better products for the consumer to reduce her emotional stress and increase satisfaction. The industry may consider restructuring size assortments, evaluating users’ experiences, improving product quality, performance, and service, and providing customization. Originality/value – Literature is lacking on the ways in which consumers manage stressful emotional experiences of footwear purchase-related situations. This research is the first to identify valuable information on the mechanism of female consumers’ negotiation process of pre- and post-purchase footwear experiences. It is of value to researchers, designers, manufacturers, and retailers.

Prevalence rates and risk factors for mental health difficulties in adolescents aged 16 and 17 years living in rural Ireland.

This study sought to ascertain the prevalence rates and risk factors for a range of mental health difficulties, including suicidal ideation/self-harm among 16 and 17-year-old rural Irish adolescents, a vulnerable group in transition from childhood to adulthood. Adolescents (n=237) took part in this cross-sectional study. Participants completed a questionnaire compendium consisting of generic questions on demographic information, use of mental health services and four normed questionnaires: The Youth Self-Report, the Children's Depression Inventory, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations-Adolescent and The Family Assessment Device. We found that 16.9% of adolescents reported clinically significant mental health difficulties. Significant gender differences were found on internalising and externalising difficulties. There were no gender differences in suicidal ideation or self-harm. Only 3.4% of adolescents were receiving professional help for mental health difficulties. Multiple regression analyses revealed that family dysfunction, emotion-focussed coping and poor academic competence were significant predictors of poorer mental health difficulties in both genders. Family dysfunction was the strongest predictor of mental health difficulties in males. Among females, emotion-focussed coping was the strongest predictor of internalising difficulties and depression. Social diversion (social support) was predictive of less internalising difficulties and depression for females. The study shows that a significant number of Irish 16 and 17 year olds have mental health difficulties, yet very few are receiving treatment. Emotion-focussed coping, family dysfunction, poor academic competence and less social support were important predictors of mental health difficulties. A new finding is the stronger association that family dysfunction has with poorer mental health in males than females, when controlling for academic competence and coping skills. The findings may have implications for psychological interventions.

The relationship between ADHD symptomatology and self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behaviours in adults: a pilot study.

The aim of this study was to explore whether individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at risk of harm over the lifespan due to increased rates of self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviour, and whether this association is mediated by psychosocial factors. Sixty-six adults (43 men, 23 women; 18-65 years) participated in this study involving clinical interview and retrospective self-report measures of ADHD symptoms, self-harm/suicidal behaviour, mental health disorders, and coping style measures. Significant associations were found between ADHD symptom severity and self-reported histories of self-harm behaviour, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts (all p values<.05). These relationships between self-destructive behaviours and ADHD symptom severity were found to be significantly and differentially mediated by psychosocial variables (all p values<.05) including comorbidity (mood, anxiety, drug, and alcohol abuse disorders) and emotion-focussed coping style. This study suggests that linkages between self-injurious behaviour and ADHD symptomatology may be due primarily to comorbid mental health disorders and emotion-focussed coping. The identification of these mediating factors and processes may potential pathways for intervention in reducing suicide and self-harm risk amongst those with ADHD symptoms.

Resilience in the face of changing living conditions in Guangzhou, China – insights and perspectives from psychology

To respond to increasing intercity competition and to improve its leading role as the regional centre in southern China, the Guangzhou government has been constructing the South Railway Station in Shibi Village, the largest passenger railway station in Asia. This paper explores and reflects upon how the inhabitants of this village appraise and deal with the project's impacts on their living conditions. In this regard, the question is particularly considered as to why some individuals show adaptive functioning in. the face of significant risk or adversity while others do not. Which risk and protective fac tors play a role in modifying the quality of stress experience and interface with the phenomenon of individual resilience? The purpose of this article is twofold. Firstly, it aims to enrich the geographical discourse on vulnerability and resilience by taking a psychological perspective and presenting and applying aspects of the transactional stress model of LAZARUS and of current psychological research on individual resilience. Secondly, it seeks to analyze the effect of risk and protective factors especially in relation to complex person-environment relationships that seem neither amenable to modification nor controllable by visible action. Problem-based interviews (including narrative sequences) with Shibi's inhabitants and auto photography reveal that, in particular, intrapsychological problemand emotion-focussed coping modes and person-related dispositions such as an internal locus of control or optimism contribute to features of individual resilience.

Coping with cancer: a brief report on stress and coping strategies in medical students dealing with cancer patients

This pilot study explored factors associated with stress in medical students during their initial clinical contact with cancer patients, in particular identifying stress levels and coping strategies used. A total of 80 medical students at The University of Birmingham Medical School, UK, completed retrospective self-report questionnaires measuring socio-demographics, potential stressors and coping strategies (using the Brief COPE inventory). Statistical analysis followed data collection. Of all socio-demographic categories, female gender correlated with the highest stress score (p<0.05). The most stressful situations reported related to the patient's condition, the biopsychosocial effects of the cancer on the patient and his/her family, and breaking bad news. A combination of problem- and emotion-focussed strategies were used to manage stress; and the extent of their usage was significantly related to individual stress levels (p<0.01) in both instances. Medical students in an oncology setting experience moderate stress and utilise a combination of problem- and emotion-focussed coping strategies to combat this stress. A greater use of both coping strategies was seen in students experiencing higher levels of stress. This may suggest a relative lack of effective coping skills. In light of this, the implementation of coping strategy training as a part of the medical course and/or support groups may be beneficial.

Urbane Restrukturierungsprozesse in Guangzhou/China – die Relevanz von emotionsfokussiertem Coping

Since the 1980s enormous changes in Chinese cities have been brought about by dynamic transformation processes resulting from reform and open door policy and rapid economic growth. High rates of in-migration, rapid urban expansion, spatial restructuring of land use patterns and the implementation of flagship-projects particularly characterise the dynamic urbanisation of megacities in China. This paper explores and reflects upon the main transformation processes of a traditional village in the megacity Guangzhou, South China, processes that are linked to the nearby construction of the South Railway Station. Our investigation addresses the issue of how the inhabitants of this village cope emotionally with the restructuring of their living environment, which is anything but straightforward. The primary aim of this article is to enrich the discourse on emotional geographies by discussing the concept of emotion-focussed coping. Consideration of emotions facilitates understanding of multifaceted and complex man-environment transactions - emotions both connect and disconnect people from their living environment and help to explain coping in relationships that seem neither amenable to modification nor controllable by action. In-depth interviews with the inhabitants of the village in Guangzhou and auto-photography reveal that emotion-focussed coping is widely applied to regulate emotional responses to stressful encounters through vigilance, avoidance or by changing the meaning of the man-environment transaction without changing it objectively.