Gender Differences In Coping Research Articles

Gender Differences in Coping with Discrimination, Psychological Distress, and College Stress Among International Chinese Students in the United States

Chinese students represent the largest group of international students in the United States and have been reported to experience various challenges and stressors including transitional stress, academic stress, language barriers, financial difficulties, perceived discrimination, loss of social support, and homesickness. This study drew from intersectionality theory to examine how Chinese international students coped by gender (through problem-solving, avoidance, and social support) with perceived discrimination, psychological distress, and college student stress (e.g. academic and social stress). Study participants were self-identified Chinese individuals over the age of 18 who studied in the United States as international students (N = 98). Participants completed measures of perceived discrimination, psychological distress, college student stress, coping, and demographic characteristics. Results showed that women reported higher rates of psychological distress and college student stress than men. Problem-solving coping and seeking social support were significantly and positively related to psychological distress for both men and women. Results also showed that women who perceived high discrimination used problem-solving coping to a greater extent than men. Surprisingly, coping approaches were unrelated to college student stress. The findings indicate that examining intersecting identities by gender, in line with intersectionality theory, produced a more nuanced understanding of the experiences and needs of Chinese international students and highlights the importance for colleges and universities of creating inclusive campus climates. Implications and recommendations are discussed.

Experiencing violence and other predictors of within-person same-day use of multiple substances in youth: a longitudinal study in emergency settings

ABSTRACT Background: Although experiencing violence is a risk factor for substance use among youth, its association with same-day use of multiple substances (a form of polysubstance use) and mitigating factors is less well understood. Objectives: To identify whether prosocial factors modified the effect of experiencing violence on the frequency of same-day use, and examine gender-specific risk/protective factors for same-day use. Methods: We analyzed longitudinal data from a cohort of youth who use drugs aged 14–24 (n = 599; 58% male) presenting to an urban emergency department between 2009–2011 and assessed biannually for two years. Using Poisson-generalized linear models with person-level fixed effects, we estimated within-person associations between self-reported experiencing violence and same-day use and analyzed gender and peer/parent support as effect modifiers. We adjusted for negative peer influence, parental drug and alcohol use, family conflict, anxiety and depression, and age. Results: Overall, positive parental support corresponded to lower rates of same-day use (rate ratio [RR]:0.93, 95% CI:0.87–0.99) and experiencing violence was associated with higher rates of same-day use (RR:1.25, 95% CI:1.10–1.41). Violence exposure was a risk factor among males (RR:1.42, 95% CI:1.21–1.66), while negative peer influences and parental substance use were risk factors among females (RR:1.63, 95% CI:1.36–1.97 and RR:1.58, 95% CI:1.35–1.83, respectively). Positive peer support reduced the association between violence exposure and same-day use among males (RR:0.69, 95% CI:0.57–0.84, p < .05). Conclusions: Tailored interventions may address gender differences in coping with experiencing violence – including interventions that promote parental support among males and reduce influence from parental substance use among females.

Urban Adolescents’ Exposure to Violence and Racial Discrimination: Gender Differences in Coping and Mental Health

Urban Adolescents’ Exposure to Violence and Racial Discrimination: Gender Differences in Coping and Mental Health

Gender Differences in Coping and Psychological Adaptation during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This population-based study investigated gender differences in the use of coping strategies and their relationship to anxiety symptoms during the initial COVID-19 lockdown period in the United States. A national online survey was administered between 13 April 2020 and 8 June 2020. The study sample comprised 1673 respondents (66% women). Overall, 46% reported high levels of anxiety, and women experienced significantly (p < 0.001) higher levels of anxiety than men. Women were significantly (p < 0.05) more likely to use acceptance, self-distraction, positive reframing, and emotional support than men. Significant interactions between gender and coping strategies were also identified. Women engaging in high (+1SD) vs. low (−1SD) levels of active coping were not found to have significantly different anxiety levels. In contrast, men reported higher levels of anxiety when they engaged in high levels of active coping and lower levels of anxiety when they engaged in low levels of active coping (b2 = 0.88, t = 3.33, p = 0.001). Additionally, women engaging in high levels of acceptance and positive reframing reported significantly lower anxiety levels than when engag-ing in low levels of acceptance (b1 = −1.03, t = −4.58, p < 0.001) and positive reframing (b1 = −0.72, t = −3.95, p < 0.001). No significant associations between acceptance and positive reframing levels and anxiety levels were found with men. Overall, these findings extend our understanding of the nature of gender differences in stress responsivity during periods of high psychological distress and can inform the development of mental health interventions to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and future infectious disease outbreaks.

Gender Differences in Stress Resistance of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Objective: The research provided the empirical study of the gender differences in the experience of stress and coping with it in boys and girls diagnosed with high-functioning autism through qualitative methods. Methods: Observation was the main method used in the study, which was implemented by filling in the observation diary by specialists and parents of adolescents with autistic disorders. The main coping strategies under research were addressing others, avoiding the problem, and working on the problem. Content analysis was used as the main data processing method.&#x0D; Results: The study found some gender differences in coping with stress between males and females. Besides, it was found that the use of certain forms of coping behavior differs depending on age.&#x0D; Conclusions: The study allowed us to determine that boys tend to choose a strategy of working on the problem in interpersonal interaction, while girls are disposed to avoid the problem. The opposite picture was observed for the social environment: girls with ASD tend to use a strategy of addressing others, and boys avoid the problem through self-isolation.

Gender Differences in Coping, Depression, and Anxiety in Patients with Non-Metastatic Lung Cancer.

BackgroundDepression and anxiety are prevalent issues amongst individuals suffering from thoracic cancer. Gender differences in coping with thoracic cancer have a serious impact upon the management of emotional distress. The purpose of our study has been to assess sex variations in handling anxiety and depression, including the use of coping mechanisms and their relationship with respect to anxiety and depression.MethodsThis cross-sectional study registered 18 women and 22 men with non-metastatic lung cancer and operated upon. Pre-operatively and at one month post-operatively, the patients were assessed by means of scales (COPE, GAD-7 and PHQ-9).ResultsPost-operatively, the intensity of depression and anxiety was substantially greater in males than in females (p = 0.049, p = 0.042). Male individuals tended to use coping mechanisms of humour (p = 0.009) and restraint (p = 0.029) significantly more frequently than women. Moreover, in women, depression correlated significantly with denial and behavioural deactivation (rho = 0.465, p = 0.029, respectively, rho = 0.562, p = 0.006); whilst anxiety, similarly, correlated with positive interpretation, behavioural deactivation, and use of social-emotional support (rho = 0.484, p = 0.022, respectively, rho = 0.590, p = 0.004 and rho = 0.502, p = 0.017). Furthermore, in males, depression correlated significantly with mental deactivation, use of social-instrumental and social-emotional support (rho = 0.702, p = 0.001, respectively, rho = 0.505, p=0.033, and rho = 0.773 with p < 0.001), whilst anxiety correlated significantly with mental deactivation, denial, and use of social-emotional support (rho = 0.597, p = 0.009, respectively, rho = 0.553 with p = 0.017 and rho = 0.755, p < 0.001).ConclusionThere were gender divergences in the use of coping mechanisms and the level of post-surgical anxiety and depression. We found significant positive relationships between some coping mechanisms and depression/anxiety. The patient’s gender governs the coping style, which in turn has bearing upon the post-operative evolution.

Age and gender differences in coping and mental health during and post COVID-19 lockdown

IntroductionAs a reaction to growing number of COVID-19 cases in Quebec, the government issued a lockdown to prevent further spread of the virus in March 2020. The novelty of the imposed restrictions warranted an assessment of adult coping and potential effects on anxiety and depressive symptoms.ObjectivesThe purpose of the present study was to evaluate methods of coping employed during Quebec’s lockdown and their potential ramifications on anxiety and depressive symptoms post-lockdown in Quebec.MethodsIn a retrospective longitudinal design, two-hundred and twenty-three (n = 223) adults (65.5% female; 34.5% male) completed the study online. They were asked to fill out several questionnaires and provide demographic information.ResultsAnalysis revealed significant improvement in anxiety symptoms post-lockdown relative to during lockdown across the entire sample. Depressive symptoms also improved significantly across the sample, but the difference was less pronounced among 18–34-year-olds than those 35 and above. Male adults aged 18-34 utilized maladaptive coping strategies to the greatest extent. Moreover, maladaptive coping was significantly associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms and predicted depressive symptoms post-lockdown. Further investigation revealed that young adult males differed from females in their use of substances and self-blame to cope.ConclusionsOverall, the data suggest that the lockdown adversely affected anxiety and depressive symptoms among the general population. Furthermore, young adults, particularly males, were most susceptible to depressive symptomatology due in part to their methods of coping with the novel context. A follow-up study is warranted. Future studies should also seek to recruit individuals whose self-identified gender is non-traditional (e.g., non-binary).DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Gender differences in coping with long-term COVID-19 impacts among older adults

Initial COVID-19 pandemic research suggests that during the first few weeks of the pandemic women were disproportionately impacted by restrictions compared to men. This study explored whether these gender differences in coping with pandemic restrictions were present among older adults 8–9 months into the COVID-19 pandemic. Data are based on online survey responses (n = 781) from respondents aged 60 and older. The survey was fielded from November 2 to December 4, 2020. Compared to older men, a greater proportion of older women self-reported an increase in being lonely, anxious, scared, sad, stressed, hopeless, and frustrated as compared to the beginning of the pandemic. More women reported engaging in healthy coping behaviors compared to men and self-reported more decreases in sleeping and in eating compared to the first few weeks of the pandemic. A greater proportion of older women reported a decline in physical activity since the first few weeks of the pandemic compared to older men. Self-reported changes in communication did not differ by gender, except for text messaging. More women compared to men reported that their use of text messaging increased since the initial stages of the pandemic. Results showed significant gender differences among older adults in coping with long-term COVID-19 restrictions 8–9 months into the pandemic.

Coping with Stress During the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic by Polish University Students: Strategies, Structure, and Relation to Psychological Well-Being.

PurposeThe aim of the study was to establish a hierarchy of strategies and the structure of copIng with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic by university students and the relationship between coping strategies and psychological well-being.Participants and MethodsAn exploratory study was conducted using a cross-sectional research design. The study involved 1330 university students, aged 18 to 30 years. The Brief COPE Scale, being the Polish adaptation by Juczyński and Ogińska-Bulik, and the short version of the Psychological General Well-Being Index (authors’ adaptation) were used.ResultsAcceptance, doing something else, active coping, and physical activity were the most commonly used strategies for coping with stress during the second wave of the pandemic. Substance use, denial, and behavioral disengagement were lowest in the hierarchy of coping strategies. Female and master’s students used a variety of strategies more than male and bachelor’s students. Coping strategies correlated significantly with psychological well-being. Four second-degree factors were distinguished, explaining 55.1% of the total variation: maladaptive coping, coping by support, by positive reappraisal, and by action. Stepwise regression analysis confirmed the importance of the second-degree factors as predictors of psychological well-being.ConclusionOur findings show that young adults studying at the university of physical Education in Poland used adaptive strategies to cope with stress during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gender differences in coping with pandemic stress are similar to those found in previous studies. The structure of coping with pandemic stress is to some extent similar, but also partially dependent on various cultural factors.

Territorial and Gender Differences in the Home Care of Family Members with Dementia

The increasing prevalence of dementia is threatening the capacity of health and social service systems to provide long-term care support at the territorial level. In both rural and urban areas, specific family members (gendered care) are responsible for the daily care of their relatives. The aim of this work is to explore gender and territorial implications in the provision of in-home care by family members. To this end, family caregivers in Navarre, Spain, were administered the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS-SR) and a semi-structured interview. The results show the good psychosocial adjustment of caregivers of relatives with dementia but the negative impacts of caregiving in the domestic, relational, and psychological domains. Moreover, the feminization of psychological distress was found to predominate in rural areas since mainly women are responsible for instrumental and care tasks, while men seek other complementary forms of support. Place of residence (rural vs. urban) was found to exert a strong effect on the respondents’ conception, life experience, and provision of care. Consequently, territorial and gender differences in coping with and adjusting to care require the design of contextualized actions adapted to caregivers’ needs.

Coping of Young Refugees in Germany

Abstract. Background: Coping is considered to have an important influence on well-being, especially in adolescent refugees dealing with a high amount of stress. In addition, gender differences in coping are a common topic for research and are often attributed to differences in socialization between boys and girls. Aims: The study aims at clarifying the gender differences in coping strategies used by non-Western adolescents. Additionally, associations with aspects of socialization, in particular Gender Role Attitudes (GRA), on gender differences are investigated. Method: Refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan ( N = 106, 55% male) aged 11–18 years completed questionnaires in schools or housing facilities. Associations between gender, GRA, coping strategies, and well-being were investigated using moderation and regression analyses. Results: Gender differences found in previous literature could, in part be replicated. Refugee girls reported more anger-related emotion regulation than boys did. However, GRA did not show any connections to coping strategies. Limitations: Most limitations result from low reliabilities and possible biases due to the use of self-reports. Conclusion: The more frequent use of anger-related emotion regulation as the only gender difference replicated in this study highlights the importance of research with refugee samples to prevent over-generalization of previous results from Western cultures.

Gender differences in the coping mechanisms to disruptions brought by COVID-19 pandemic among working adults in the Rural Philippines: The Case of Visayas State University

The various social restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus have brought unprecedented disruptions in people’s lifestyle. The academic institutions were caught unprepared and had to adjust abruptly. With this, we assessed how working adults in a state university in rural Philippines are coping with the disruptions brought by the pandemic. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey on May 18 to 23, 2020 where 133 working adults from the Visayas State University, Leyte, Philippines responded to the survey. Results show that the top most rank coping mechanism for both men and women is doing household chores. Results further suggest that men are more inclined to surfing the net and use social media while women focus more on praying and gardening. Pets are considered as an important companion to cope better with the pandemic. Our results highlight differences in coping mechanisms between working men and women in dealing with the pandemic. Empirical findings suggest that working adults with diversified activities and engaged more in physical activities such as household chores and gardening tend to cope better during lockdowns. In addition, income and access to internet are significant determinants of coping mechanisms. Policy makers and administrators in state university in Philippines may benefit from understanding gender differences in coping with the pandemic and can tailor approaches that may contribute to wellbeing issues among working adults.

Personality and coping as gendered predictors of distress and well-being in nursing students

IntroductionPrevious studies about relationship between personality factors and stress related processes mainly focus on relation between these factors and application of coping strategies.ObjectivesThis study expanded previous research by examining the combined contribution of personality traits (NEO-FFI) and coping strategies (Brief COPE) in the prediction of stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms (DASS-21), and psychological well-being (WHO-5) among undergraduate nursing students.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was performed in 2017. Participants of this study were 75 nursing students (men=37, women=38) from one Portuguese School of Health Sciences. The students who agreed to participate filled out an informed consent. Then the questionnaires were administered in a random order to avoid order effects in the data.ResultsRegarding personality, women reported higher conscientiousness and agreeableness than men. There were no gender differences in coping. Among men, openness and agreeableness (inversely) and neuroticism predicted stress. In women, neuroticism and venting predicted stress. Regarding depression, conscientiousness and extraversion (inversely) and neuroticism were predictors for men, whereas neuroticism, self-blame, and denial were predictors for women. Conscientiousness and extraversion (inversely) and venting and denial predicted anxiety in men, as did neuroticism and venting in women. For well-being, conscientiousness and extraversion were predictors among men; neuroticism and seeking instrumental support (inversely) and extraversion were predictors among women. Personality traits dominated the prediction of distress and well-being in men, while both personality and coping were predictors in women.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that it is not the degree of each personality trait or coping strategy but the pattern of relationship between these phenomena and psychological outcomes that is of relevance. The results could inform gendered preventive and treatment interventions for college students.

Gender differences in human adrenal cortex and its disorders

The adrenal cortex plays pivotal roles in the maintenance of blood volume, responsiveness to stress and the development of gender characteristics. Gender differences of human adrenal cortex have been recently reported and attracted increasing interests. Gender differences occur from the developing stage of the adrenal, in which female subjects had more activated stem cells with higher renewal capacity resulting in gender-associated divergent structures and functions of cortical zonations of human adrenal. Female subjects generally have the lower blood pressure with the lower renin levels and ACE activities than male subjects. In addition, HPA axis was more activated in female than male, which could possibly contribute to gender differences in coping with various stressful events in our life. Of particular interest, estrogens were reported to suppress RAAS but activate HPA axis, whereas androgens had opposite effects. In addition, adrenocortical disorders in general occur more frequently in female with more pronounced adrenocortical hormonal abnormalities possibly due to their more activated WNT and PRK signaling pathways with more abundant activated adrenocortical stem cells present in female adrenal glands. Therefore, it has become pivotal to clarify the gender influence on both clinical and biological features of adrenocortical disorders. We herein reviewed recent advances in these fields.

Coping and Its Relation to Gender, Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue, Cognitive Difficulties and Somatic Symptoms

Background: The first aim of this study was to analyse the structure of coping and to develop a measuring instrument to be used in future work. A second aim was to examine associations between coping scores and negative outcomes (anxiety, depression, fatigue, cognitive difficulties and somatic symptoms). Finally, gender differences in coping with workplace events were examined, as were the relationships between gender and subjective health outcomes. Methodology: A survey of a sample of 240 adults from the South Wales area was conducted at one-time point only. The questionnaire included a factor analysed version of the Ways of Coping Checklist (WCCL) as well as scales measuring anxiety, depression, fatigue, cognitive difficulties and somatic symptoms. Results: Results showed that negative coping styles significantly predicted negative health outcomes, and positive coping styles predicted fewer negative outcomes. No significant differences were found for health outcomes between men and women, but women were significantly more likely to use self-blame and wishful thinking coping. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that coping styles are associated with wellbeing outcomes. Further research should use more independent variables, such as workplace and individual characteristics, to explain more of the variance in health outcomes than just that explained by coping styles alone.

How can gender affect psychopathology in Lebanese school‐age children?

AbstractThis study investigated the extent to which gender differences in coping, school and family environments could account for variation in psychopathology among school‐age children. Participants were 665 middle school students. Results showed no gender differences for PTSD. Females scored higher on emotional problems and prosocial behavior whereas males scored higher on conduct problems. ADHD was higher among children with LD, whereas emotional and conduct problems were higher in females with LD. Emotional and conduct problems increased more by age in females. Gender differences were found in various patterns of predictor–outcome relations. While emotion‐focused coping was associated with emotional and peer problems in both genders, it was associated with conduct problems in females only. Problem‐focused coping was positively associated with prosocial behaviors in females whereas it was negatively associated with peer problems in males. In addition, family environment was negatively associated with emotional problems and PTSD symptomatology in females, whereas school environment was negatively associated with emotional problems in males. Clinical and research implications were discussed.

Using Time-Varying Effect Modeling to Examine Age-Varying Gender Differences in Coping Throughout Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

PurposeLittle is known about how and when coping trajectories differ between males and females. The current study aimed to examine gender differences in the use of specific coping strategies across developmental ages using time-varying effect modeling (TVEM) in a large, diverse community sample. MethodsA longitudinal study following adolescents across 4 years of high school and 5 years post graduation (N = 1,251) was combined with a nationally representative cross-sectional study of 18- to 22-year-olds (N = 595) to examine changes in gender differences in the use of coping strategies between ages 13 and 25. The same coping questionnaire was administered to both samples. TVEM was used to examine the age-varying prevalence rates of coping in males and females. ResultsGender differences were greatest during middle-to-late adolescence (15–19 years) for active coping, social support seeking, planning, and venting emotions. Females reported greater use of these strategies than males, but males' use increased over time and became equivalent to females after the age of ~19–20. Gender differences in the use of humor did not emerge until the age of 22, at which point the use of humor increased continuously among males but remained stable among females. The use of denial was fairly stable across time, with no gender differences at any age. ConclusionsFindings highlight the utility of TVEM for advancing our knowledge on gender and coping across developmental time, as males and females used coping strategies at differing rates throughout adolescence and emerging adulthood. Implications for tailoring gender- and age-specific intervention efforts to improve coping and related health behaviors are discussed.

ПОЛНИ АСПЕКТ СТРАТЕГИЈА СУОЧАВАЊА СА СТРЕСОМ И ЊИХОВЕ ПОВЕЗАНОСТИ СА ПОТЕНЦИЈАЛОМ ЗА РАЗВОД

The study was conducted in order to determine the relationship between the coping strategies and divorce potential in couples. Based on the Levinger’s Model of cohesiveness and Bodennman’s stress-model, the existence of gender differences in coping with stress was expected, and that the non-adaptive coping skills were to be positive about the potential for divorce, while the adaptive strategies of coping with stress should be linked with a lower potential for divorce. 378 couples have participated in this study. The instruments used were the Brief COPE Scale (Carver, 1997) and a short form of the Martial Instability Index (Booth, Johnson &amp; Edwards, 1983; retrieved from Tadinac et al., 2005). The results showed that the woman in dealing with stressful situations use self-destruction, denial of problems and venting, and also search for emotional and instrumental support. On the other hand, in dealing with stressful situations, males abuse substances. Using logistic regression it was showed that within both males and females there are significant differences between the coping strategies and divorce potential. Looking at the results more precisely, the males who deny the problem, use emotional support, rarely use venting, accept problems and rarely self-blame themselves have greater divorce potential. On the other hand, women who more frequently use emotional support and venting have greater divorce potential. The results are in line with the basic theoretical assumptions of this study.

Computational Analysis of Gender Differences in Coping with Extreme Stressful Emotions

In this paper a computational analysis is presented of differences between men and women in coping with extreme emotions. This analysis is based on an adaptive temporal-causal network model. It takes into account the suppression of connections between preparation states and sensory representations of action effects due to an extreme stressful emotion. It is shown how this model can be used to represent the difference between males and females facing an extreme emotion, thereby performing their own methods in coping with the extreme emotion, for males fight or flight and for females tend-and-befriend.

Spousal Coping Strategies in the Shadow of Terrorism.

The present study focuses on spousal differences in reaction to ongoing exposure to terror and security threats. Sixty-eight married couples with children living in a region exposed to ongoing security threats were evaluated. All participants completed questionnaires on objective exposure (number of incidents) and subjective exposure (sense of fear) to terrorism and security threats, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and their coping strategies with this ongoing exposure. Mothers reported higher levels of fear and PTSD symptoms, although their objective levels of exposure did not differ from those of their husbands. Similarities were found in coping strategies adopted by mothers and fathers to cope with life in the shadow of terrorism. Both mothers and fathers integrated emotion- and problem-focused coping strategies, with greater use of the latter. These similarities partially contradict research findings suggesting gender differences in coping with exposure to security threats. The results support the need for further research into investigating the role of dyadic coping in the context of prolonged exposure to security threats.