Coping Experiences Research Articles

"None of us was prepared"-Caring for vulnerable people during the heatwave in Sweden in 2018.

Climate change is increasing the risk for extreme weather events such as heatwaves, including in northern countries like Sweden, which until recent years has had limited experiences of coping with extreme heat. Based on predictions that Sweden will be more frequently exposed to heatwaves in the future, it is imperative to increase the societal resilience and adaptation measures. This paper presents a qualitative interview study involving 19 participants and their experiences of caring for vulnerable people during the heatwave in 2018. The participants represent four different organizations (working directly or indirectly with vulnerable people) in two municipalities in Sweden, including preschools, homes for the elderly, homecare services, and care homes for people with functional impairments, which were all impacted during the heatwave. This study contributes new empirical insights about the heatwave in 2018 and, in particular, similarities and differences in both experiences and adaptation measures across the four organizations. The findings show how both staff and vulnerable people suffered from the consequences of heat which increased vulnerability, how some organizations lacked enough (qualified) staff to secure routines, and that few evaluations and formal changes were done after the heatwave.

집단상담자의 화상회의 집단상담 경험에 관한 질적연구

Purpose: Whilst traditional counseling has been conducted in-person, videoconferencing counseling modality was widely adopted during COVID-19. This study aims to explore the group counselors’ experiences of videoconferencing group therapy by focusing on coping experiences. Method: Participants of the study were six group counselors. They had more than three videoconferencing group therapy experiences with masters or doctoral degree in the field of counseling, and had more than 5 years of counseling experiences. In-depth interviews were conducted once or twice per participant, and were recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed using the Constant Comparative Analysis Method. Results: Results of the study are as follows; Efforts outside of videoconferencing group therapyg, Having control over group members and groups, Utilizing technology to facilitate interaction, Intervene in difficult group members and situations, and Positive attitude toward videoconferencing group therapy. Participants' experiences of were summarized as 'understanding the pros and cons of videoconferencing group therapy and creatively coping with difficulties arising inside and outside of the group by using technology and expertise'. Conclusion: Suggestions were proposed for future videoconferencing group therapy. Finally, the implications and limitations of the study were discussed.

Challenges and interpersonal dynamics during a two-person lunar analogue Arctic mission

Introduction: This case study was designed as an analog for aspects of NASA’s planned Artemis missions to the lunar surface. The specific aims were to examine emerged mission challenges and dyadic affective and process dynamics over the course of a three-month lunar habitat analog Arctic mission.Methods: Participants were two men who also had key roles in designing the habitat. Pre- and post- expedition interviews were conducted and daily satellite phone messages to mission control over the three-month mission were assessed. An integrated mixed methods approach was used to analyze challenges, group affect, and group processes, with the goal of furthering the understanding of coping and psychosocial work experiences in challenging conditions.Results: The findings indicated that different challenges took distinct temporal trajectories across mission phases; based on the relational themes, several challenges were identified, primarily physical challenges related to the experience of coping in an ICE environment, and psychosocial challenges associated with the preparation and execution of mission tasks. Physical challenges, positive tone, and action processes were the themes most connected to each other. To deal with these challenges, the team adapted by more frequently engaging in action and transition processes. The specific training for the mission the participants engaged in, and prior knowledge about each other enabled team members to deal with mission exigencies while maintaining a positive outlook.Discussion: Fostering strong positive relationships was an important mechanism to build resilience and effective performance while under ongoing, extreme conditions.

Concerns to Aging and Health of Schizophrenia Inpatients During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Aims: Patients with schizophrenia are more likely to be affected by contagious diseases and health problems because of the influence of factors such as comorbidity with chronic diseases, psychiatric symptoms, and whether treatment with psychotropic drugs is possible. Accordingly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was particularly important to pay attention to the health problems and coping experiences of patients with schizophrenia.Methods: Twenty inpatients with schizophrenia were recruited via purposive sampling to participate in this qualitative study. Data collection was conducted from June to August 2022 and the data were analyzed via thematic analysis.Results: Four dominant themes emerged from the responses of the participants, who: 1) were concerned about COVID-19 and performed health-management behaviors; 2) were concerned about significant health problems but did not take preventive actions; 3) experienced barriers to health management; and 4) required healthcare resources for elderly patients.Conclusions: We found that these patients with schizophrenia had received health management education and implemented infection-prevention measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although they expressed concerns about health problems that interfered significantly with their daily lives, including the need for healthcare resources for the elderly, they lacked awareness of aging-related comorbidities. Healthcare professionals should thus align the care they provide with their patients’ needs, continuously provide them with health-related information, observe their daily behaviors, and help them to develop their skills related to changing and implementing health behaviors.

The Relationship Between Religious Coping and Internalized Stigma Among Patients With Bipolar Disorder.

Stigmatization is a situation that results from the negative perspective of society towardindividuals with certain mental and physical illnesses and has negative effects. It has been observed that there are not enough studies in the literature investigating the attitudes of individuals with mental illness to cope with lifelong difficulties such as stigmaand especially their religious coping attitudes. However, there are many clinical studies on general psychology and religious coping with varying results. Our aim in this research is to reveal the association between religious coping and internal stigma among bipolar disorder patients. The religious coping scale and the Internalized Stigma in Mental Illness (ISMI) scale were administered to 79 patients with bipolar disorder. The obtained data were analyzed usingIBMSPSSStatistics for Windows, Version 22 (Released 2013; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Forty-two (53.1%) patients were female and 37 (46.9%) were male, the mean age was 43.41±12.57, and the mean follow-up period was 11.95±9.15 years.A positive correlation was found between negative religious coping and discrimination experience, alienation, and social withdrawal in bipolar disorder patients. A significant negative correlation was found between discrimination experience, alienation and social withdrawal, and positive religious coping. The correlation of religious coping attitudes with discrimination experience, alienation, and social withdrawal makes us think that religious coping methods may be one of the issues to be considered when dealing with self-stigma in bipolar disorder patients.In addition, the relationship between religious coping and self-stigmatization in mental illnesses can add a new dimension to psychosocial approaches. It would be beneficial for authors interested in religion and social psychology to focus on more extensive research on this subject.

Stress Impact and Care for COVID-19: Pilot Education and Support Course Decreases Burnout Among Nursing Students.

Nurses and nursing students have been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, often working in conditions that produce stress injuries and burnout. Early recognition and mitigation of stress and emotional trauma help prevent burnout. To evaluate the effectiveness of an online 8-hour stress awareness course and associated 1-hour support group in reducing stress and burnout among nursing students. We conducted a program evaluation for an online stress awareness pilot course offered to nursing students. The course, and associated support groups led by trained psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner students, included a common language for talking about stress, screening tools for recognizing stress injuries, and strategies for improving self-care. Students completed pre- and post-course surveys. Outcome measures included changes on course learning objectives, level of burnout, health-related locus of control, and experiences of stress and coping. Nursing students (n = 360) enrolled in the course, and 224 (62%) completed pre- and post-course surveys. Sixty percent rated the course excellent or very good. Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales and Impact of Event Scale Revised scores were within established normal ranges. There was a significant increase in all nine course learning objectives (p < .001) and decreased signs of stress (p < .001). Students' level of burnout decreased by odds ratio = 0.58 (95% CI: [0.4, 0.9], p < .006). Nursing leaders can use psychoeducational strategies to mitigate the impact of stress, build confidence, and support nursing students entering the workforce during these unprecedented times.

Racial Bigotry and Afrikaner Agonies: A Post Colonial Reading of John Maxwell Coetzee’s Novel, Disgrace (1999)

South Africa has an exceptionally rich literary environment, particularly when it comes to the experience of coping with a tragic past. Afrikaners in South Africa had the opportunity to benefit from a privileged family foundation and the best socioeconomic and political outcomes thanks to the apartheid racial segregation system. This change has exposed the whites’ illusion that they can exist outside the historical process. Apartheid having been embedded in the consciousness of both the whites and the blacks has made it difficult for the whites to accept the reversal of the status quo within the master-slave matrix. This transformed society is affecting the Afrikaners, so they are struggling to reclaim and sustain a connection with the socio-cultural, economic, and political past. There is a disconnect between the individual and the social-cultural context, which results in agonies experienced by the Afrikaners in the post-apartheid era. The paper employed a postcolonial theory as propagated by Edward Said (1978) and Homi Bhabha (1994). It was also buttressed by New Historicism that grounds socio-political and cultural interconnectedness with the prevailing historical discourses, which gives a deeper insight into human relations. The interplay between history and cultural identity, culture and hegemony, and the resultant interracial divisions that conceal covert misogyny illustrate the reality that history may be recreated from various angles. A qualitative approach based on the library was adopted. The research design used in the study was analytical. By purposive sampling, the text was selected deliberately: Disgrace (1999) by J. M Coetzee. The selected text bulks on agonies Afrikaners go through in the post-apartheid era. This study hopes to contribute to existing post-apartheid dialectics on interracial relations

"We're treading water as best we can": A qualitative study of parental resilience during COVID-19.

This Ontario-based study utilized modified grounded theory to consider the potential burden of chronic stressors on parents of young children during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as parental experiences of coping and resilience. Cross-sectional interviews at a single point in time do not reveal change and adaptation during an evolving pandemic; for this reason, this study conducted one interview at the end of the first wave of the pandemic in Ontario and a second interview a year and a half later. Twenty parents participated in two interviews, and findings are presented using Bonanno's (2004, 2005) mental health trajectory model following life disruption. The recovery trajectory details parental stressors and challenges that returned to baseline; the chronic stress trajectory notes parental experiences of unremitting stressors; and the resilience trajectory describes helpful behaviors, beliefs, and conditions that supported parental mental wellness across both interviews. Findings reveal that the resilience and recovery trajectories were dominant among this cohort, and descriptions of both problem-based and emotional-based coping through creativity and parental innovation are presented, as well as unforeseen positive impacts of the pandemic on families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

COVID-19 coping experiences of individuals with schizophrenia: A grounded theory approach in Korea.

Humankind has responded to the profound medical, economic, social, and cultural consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by employing various strategies. However, although individuals with mental disorders, including schizophrenia, have suffered more challenges from the infectious disease spread, they have received inadequate attention and care. Hence, this study aimed to explore the experiences of individuals with schizophrenia coping with COVID-19; one-to-one interviews were conducted with 17 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia in Korea. The data were analysed using grounded theory methodology. The results showed that individuals with schizophrenia became distanced from the routine care they received before COVID-19, faced a dual threat from their mental illness and the emerging infectious disease, and experienced inequity and paradoxical situations. Nevertheless, they strived to live their daily lives by utilizing non-face-to-face access, seeking support from mental health professionals, and devising self-help measures. Moreover, reflecting on their lives throughout the pandemic after returning to their regular daily lives provided an opportunity for healing and growth. This study's results can provide evidence for treating individuals with schizophrenia and other mental disorders during subsequent infectious disease spread. Practical policies and interventions tailored to their vulnerabilities are required.

How the dyads of heart failure patients and their informal caregivers cope with the disease process: a qualitative synthesis

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Heart failure (HF) is a debilitating and progressive condition requiring consistent self-care by patients and their caregivers. Understanding the dyadic coping experience is crucial to inform the development of effective self-care interventions. Existing reviews focused on coping experience of patients or informal caregivers separately, without considering dynamic interaction between patients and caregivers. Purpose This review aimed to synthesize the qualitative studies to understand how patients and their caregivers interact and jointly cope with HF. Methods A systematic literature searching was conducted in nine electronic databases from inception to 11 June 2022. Manual searching of the reference list of relevant articles was also conducted. Articles were eligible if they focused on exploring the dyadic coping experience of HF patient-caregiver dyads aged 18 years or older. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool for qualitative studies was used to assess the methodological quality of included articles. Thematic synthesis was adopted to synthesize the findings. Results Thirty articles were included in the review. Eleven articles were rated as high quality and nineteen as moderate quality. Three analytical themes emerged from the findings: (1) challenges in their changing and shared life experience, (2) conditions shaping dyadic coping experience, and (3) evolving dyadic coping strategies from the illness experience (Figure 1). Patients’ progressive and debilitating disease conditions disrupted the shared lives of the dyads, consequently causing a series of stressors for both to cope with. Dyadic coping of HF is influenced by the interpersonal context (i.e., congruence of illness perception, dyadic relationship and interaction, dyadic coping capabilities) and social context (i.e., professional and informal input). During the coping process, HF dyads utilized constructive or destructive methods of adjusting relationship boundaries, transforming patterns of dyadic coping and regulating emotion in a dyadic context. Besides, the strategies of amplifying positive changes and seeking meaning were critical for dyads to normalize HF in their lives. Conclusion HF imposed multiple stressors on the shared life of the dyads. Under the influence of interpersonal and social context, patients and caregivers co-regulated dyadic coping strategies to respond to dyadic stress, either adaptively or maladaptively. A relationship-focused dyadic approach is needed to optimize the synergy in the dyadic coping process and support dyads to cope with HF.

Application of a revised model for coping with advanced cancer to qualitatively explore lung cancer survivors’ experiences of ongoing physical effects, novel treatments, uncertainty, and coping

PurposeLung cancer remains underrepresented in cancer survivorship research. This study aimed to understand survivors’ physical/psychological challenges, experiences of immunotherapy (IO) and targeted therapy (TT), and psychological adjustment through application of the Roberts et al. (2017) advanced cancer adaptation of Folkman and Greer’s appraisal and coping model.MethodsAdults 6–24 months post-initial treatment completion were recruited via an Australian cohort study. Participant demographic, clinical, quality of life, and distress data were obtained through the cohort database. Qualitative interviews were conducted and analyzed using Framework methods. Roberts et al. (2017)’s model informed data interpretation and presentation.ResultsTwenty interviews were conducted (10 females; average age 69 years). Participants’ diagnostic stages varied (stage I = 2, stage II = 4, stage III = 8, stage IV = 6); most had received IO/TT (n = 14) and were on average 17 months (range 10–24) post-diagnosis. Three themes were identified and mapped to the Roberts’ framework: (1) Ongoing illness events: most participants reported functioning well despite ongoing physical effects. Those on IO/TT reported side effects; some were unexpected/serious. (2) Adjusting to life with lung cancer: most expressed hope for the future while simultaneously preparing for disease progression. Those receiving IO/TT experienced uncertainty given limited survival information. (3) Learning to live with lung cancer: participants described emotion, problem, and meaning based on coping strategies.ConclusionsFindings may guide development of supportive care resources/interventions focused on uncertainty, IO/TT communication and decision-making, and coping.Implications for Cancer SurvivorsMany people with lung cancer are living well with their ongoing illness. Despite challenges, many survivors are adapting to issues as they arise and are maintaining a sense of hope and optimism.

Coping mechanisms during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in metropolitan Johannesburg, South Africa: A qualitative study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused prolonged stress on numerous fronts. While the acute health impacts of psychosocial stress due to the pandemic are well-documented, less is known about the resources and mechanisms utilized to cope in response to stresses during the pandemic and lockdown. The aim of this study was to identify and describe the coping mechanisms adults utilized in response to the stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020 South African lockdown. This study included adults (n = 47: 32 female; 14 male; 1 non-binary) from the greater Johannesburg region in South Africa. Interviews with both closed and open-ended questions were administered to query topics regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were coded and thematically analyzed to identify coping mechanisms and experiences. Adults engaged in a variety of strategies to cope with the pandemic and the ensued lockdown. The ability to access or engage in multiple coping mechanisms were either enhanced or constrained by financial and familial situations. Participants engaged in seven major coping mechanisms: interactions with family and friends, prayer and religion, staying active, financial resources, mindset reframing, natural remedies, and following COVID-19 prevention protocols. Despite the multiple stressors faced during the pandemic and lockdown, participants relied on multiple coping strategies which helped preserve their well-being and overcome pandemic-related adversity. The strategies participants engaged in were impacted by access to financial resources and family support. Further research is needed to examine the potential impacts these strategies may have on people's health.

Exploring camouflaging by the Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire in Taiwanese autistic and non-autistic adolescents: An initial development.

Camouflaging is a coping strategy used by some autistic and other neurodivergent people to fit in neurotypical social contexts. The self-reported Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire has been validated for use in research with adults in some Western societies, but not in non-Western cultural-ethnic groups. We translated Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire into traditional Chinese and examined the use of this measure in Taiwanese adolescents via both self-report and caregiver-report in 100 autistic and 105 non-autistic adolescents. Both self-reported and caregiver-reported Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire were composed of two factors (i.e. a "compensation-masking" subscale and an "assimilation" subscale). Both adolescent self-reported and caregiver-reported Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire total score and subscales were reliable in measurement, and they highly correlated with each other. Taiwanese autistic adolescents were more likely to camouflage than non-autistic adolescents, especially on assimilation. Female autistic adolescents showed higher assimilation than male autistic adolescents. Higher camouflaging, especially assimilation, was associated with higher stress in autistic and non-autistic adolescents alike. Both self-reported and caregiver-reported Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire were reliable and offered meaningful information to help us understand the social coping experiences of autistic and non-autistic adolescents.

A Qualitative Study on the Emotional Difficulties and Coping Experiences of Involuntary Unemployed People with Experiencing Embitterment

A Qualitative Study on the Emotional Difficulties and Coping Experiences of Involuntary Unemployed People with Experiencing Embitterment

Racial climate reform in independent schools: How coping self‐efficacy buffers systemic and proximal racial stress for students of color

AbstractThe journey for students of color (SOC) in predominantly White independent schools (PWIS) is paved with significant educational opportunities and challenging racial conflicts. Little is known about how SOC manage the stress of negotiating these struggles and successes in daily relationships with peers and teachers or within the school climates where the policies and practices often reveal a bracketed commitment to diversity. For decades, programs like Prep for Prep have provided academic and social supports to prepare low‐income SOC for matriculation in PWIS. Using Racial Encounter Coping Appraisal and Socialization Theory, we investigated the racial stress and coping experiences of 593 SOC from the Prep for Prep leadership training program. After measuring development on the racial coping self‐efficacy scale, three factors identified that SOC range in their confidence inreadingor noticing racial microaggressions in their schools,recastingstressful racial conflicts from “impossible” to “manageable,” andresolvingracial tensions by confronting microaggressions. Results found that a moderated mediation model explains that the relationship of SOC school climate perceptions to school belonging and affect toward school are mediated through racial coping stress. SOC with high racial coping self‐efficacy (RCSE) show less negative influence from that stress on their academic and social experiences compared to those low in RCSE. Implications for supporting SOC by buffering racial stress within PWIS are discussed.

Communal or Autonomous? Coping Experiences of Chinese Serodiscordant Male Couples to HIV Care: A Dyadic Qualitative Analysis.

Limited empirical evidence exists on the interpersonal challenges faced by Chinese serodiscordant male couples in HIV care. This study aimed to explore their coping experiences in HIV care by applying the communal coping process theoretical framework. A dyadic qualitative study using face-to-face interviews with 20 serodiscordant male couples (n = 40) was conducted between July and September 2021 in two Chinese metropolitan areas through purposive sampling. Eligibility included one partner living with HIV and the other being HIV-negative, both aged 18 or older, born male, gay or bisexual, and in a relationship together for at least 3months. A hybrid deductive-inductive approach integrated with dyadic interview analysis and framework method was used for data analysis. We identified three themes in the coping process in HIV care: (1) coping as an autonomous process, (2) coping as a dissonant process, and (3) coping as a contextualized communal process. Concerning autonomous coping, most couples adopted either disengaged avoidance or mutual noninvolvement as negative coping strategies. We also identified potential risk factors for dissonant coping, which are a partner living with internalized HIV stigma and the couple's asymmetric relationship goals. Our results indicate the communal coping process of HIV care is contextual, and our expansion of the communal coping theory sheds light on how serodiscordant male couples cope with stressors connected to HIV care. Our findings provide theoretical insights for the development of dyadic interventions based on health psychology for Chinese serodiscordant male couples to engage in HIV care.

Religious coping of Malaysian Muslims with high Sensory-Processing Sensitivity in facing the loss of loved one(s)

Sensory-Processing Sensitivity (SPS) characterizes people’s characteristic sensitivity to experience. SPS is a young field of research. There are limitations in the study of SPS and religiosity and spirituality. This study seeks to explore how Muslims with high SPS view the loss they have experienced and how they cope with the loss from an Islamic perspective. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used as the method of the study to allow for an in-depth exploration of how participants make sense of their loss experiences. The study recruited five high SPS Malaysian Muslims to explore the loss and coping experiences they had during the COVID-19 crisis and how they viewed the experiences in Islamic perspectives. The study found three themes in the application of Islamic perspectives in viewing the loss experienced by the participants and the way they coped with the loss. The Malaysian Muslim participants applied Islamic teachings as protective and therapeutic aspects to cope with the loss of loved ones, which is consistent with previous studies on Islamic religiosity. It is recommended that future SPS studies focus on exploring how individuals with different levels of SPS view religiosity and spirituality aspects of life events, especially within the Malaysian Muslim community.

Transactional Coping Experiences of Persons Deprived of Liberty During COVID-19 Pandemic

Transactional Coping Experiences of Persons Deprived of Liberty During COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: Studying the Impacts of Economic Sanctions in Iran: Everyday Life, Power, and Foreign Policy

Abstract: Based on fieldwork over ten years in Iran and Cuba, this article follows the myriad political, economic, and cultural, relationships developed between Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba since 2008, as a direct challenge to U.S. sanctions on all three countries. What can we learn about U.S. sanctions when we look at the lived experiences of those both coping with and defying U.S. sanctions in three of the main targeted societies? What do these alliances of sanctions busting show us about the limits of U.S. sanctions, and about the further entrenchment of power by those at the forefront of political and military power in each of their respective states? This article explores the micro-social relations of those who have solidified this alliance, and explores what "sanctions busting" and building "resistance economies" mean for humanitarian and development issues.

Iran in Latin America: Building Alliances for Busting Economic Sanctions

Abstract: Based on fieldwork over ten years in Iran and Cuba, this article follows the myriad political, economic, and cultural, relationships developed between Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba since 2008, as a direct challenge to U.S. sanctions on all three countries. What can we learn about U.S. sanctions when we look at the lived experiences of those both coping with and defying U.S. sanctions in three of the main targeted societies? What do these alliances of sanctions busting show us about the limits of U.S. sanctions, and about the further entrenchment of power by those at the forefront of political and military power in each of their respective states? This article explores the micro-social relations of those who have solidified this alliance, and explores what "sanctions busting" and building "resistance economies" mean for humanitarian and development issues.