Pandemic Stress Research Articles

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Opioid Use Disorder: A Systematic Review

Over the past several decades, opioid use has consistently increased. Thought to be related to poor prescribing and drug availability, since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a dramatic shift in opioid overdoses. While pandemic stress may explain some of the rapid rise in drug misuse, research suggests other variables (i.e., trauma) may make individuals particularly vulnerable to opioid use and abuse. This systematic review sought to examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and opioid use disorder (OUD). Following guidelines established by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P), we conducted this systematic review using the Pubmed academic database. Searching research beginning in 2000-current, we found 48 articles that met our inclusion criteria. We used a team-based approach to conduct a thematic synthesis of the data. Four central analytical themes emerged including the nature of childhood relationship patterns, type of ACE, ACEs and OUD moderators, and biomarkers as predictors of OUDs. Several findings from this review may help to explain the relationship between ACEs and OUD. OUD is partially predicted by ACEs severity and frequency, type of ACE (i.e., abuse, neglect, parental substance use), psychiatric comorbidities, neurotransmitter level, and genetics. Resiliency may be key to OUD prevention. Both ACEs and OUD make lasting alterations in brain structure and biochemical pathways. Future research should focus on treatments to disrupt biochemical pathways that solidify craving. Clinicians may help by using risk-based assessments, promoting resiliency, and including families in treatment.

Romantic Partner and Parenting Distress Predicts BMI in Middle Aged Couples Experiencing Pandemic Stress

Interpersonal distress may contribute to obesity. While most research assesses long-term outcomes, day to day interactions may help to explain why this relationship might exist. Specifically, individuals may use food to cope with poor relationship functioning. Chronic use of emotional eating could lead to weight gain. While some may compensate for diet choices with exercise, the pandemic lockdown may have limited some individuals’ opportunities for exercise. This study examined BMI and daily family distress (i.e., romantic partners, children). Using an ecological momentary assessment, middle-aged, heterosexual couples (n=59, N=118) experiencing pandemic stress completed four daily surveys over a two-week period during the 2020-2021 fall/winter pandemic peak. Participants reported daily upsetting events experienced with their romantic partner and daily parenting distress. We tested actor partner effects between couples using BMI as the dependent variable and average daily parenting and partner distress as the independent variables. The more upsetting partner interactions men reported, the higher their BMI (3.407, p=.01) and their partner’s BMI (4.365, p=.003). Women’s BMI was also predicted by their relationships with their children (5.729, p=.006). Our results demonstrate interpersonal relationships affect weight. Where men’s BMI was predicted by how they perceive partner interactions, women were particularly vulnerable to adverse conditions across family relationships. Findings underscore the importance of targeting interpersonal relationships to improve health outcomes. Health care providers may want to inquire about the quality of interpersonal relationships and include families into treatments targeting changes in lifestyle to promote weight loss.

Behind the scenes of the healthcare COVID-19 pandemic crisis: potential affecting factors of healthcare work sustainability in Romania during 2020-2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic represented a great disturbance for medical systems around the world, putting medical personnel on the front lines of the fight against the SARS-Cov2 virus. This fight was particularly impactful in countries with medical systems already facing various challenges, including Romania; where the pandemic unfolded in five waves that severely affected the psychological and physical well-being of medical professionals in terms of overload and continuous exposure to health threats. Against this background, our research aims to identify the mediating role of potential affecting factors of healthcare work sustainability during the change-related uncertainty conditions generated by the COVID 19 crisis. Dynamics and relations of nine carefully selected constructs were tracked along all five pandemic waves in Romania, which span from March 2020 to April 2022. The tested variables and constructs are perception of healthcare workers of their own state of health, their workplace safety, the work-family conflict, the satisfaction of basic needs, the work meaningfulness and work engagement, patient care, pandemic stress and burnout. This cross-sectional study is based on an online snowball sampling of 738 health workers from 27 hospitals. Panel research is limited to a maximum of 61 respondents for two successive waves. The analytical part is built on means comparison of analysed variables between all five pandemic waves and an in-depth model to explain the relationships between the variables. The results indicate statistically significant correlations between the perception of health risks and all selected factors excluding patient care, which seems to be above the own health perception. The factors' dynamics was followed along all five pandemic waves. The developed model identified that one's health status satisfaction is a mediator of the family-work conflict and, together, of work engagement. In turn, work engagement plays a significant role in satisfying basic psychological needs and supporting work meaningfulness. Also, work meaningfulness influences the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. Health workers with higher levels of positive perceived health are better at managing pandemic stress, burnout effects and work-family imbalances. Adaptive behaviors and attitudes towards COVID-19 pandemic threats could be identified in later pandemic waves due to the progress in terms of medical protocols and procedures.

Surveillance of healthcare-onset clinical cultures using whole-genome sequencing reveals hidden nosocomial transmission

Background: Traditional hospital outbreak-detection methods are typically limited to select multidrug-resistant pathogens in a single unit, which can miss transmission of many medically important healthcare-transmissible pathogens. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) enables comprehensive genomic resolution for accurate identification of clonal transmission. Previously, lack of scalability limited the use of WGS for hospital surveillance. Methods: We conducted prospective surveillance of select bacteria from all inpatient clinical cultures plus all bacteria from clinical cultures from ICUs and oncology units at the University of California Irvine (UCI) Clinical Microbiology Laboratory from September 2021 to February 2022. Due to pandemic stressors, this pilot test was a prelude to a real-time demonstration project. Its goal was to demonstrate the efficiency and scalability of the WGS platform when receiving samples monthly and analyzing results quarterly without the intent for real-time response. Bacterial isolates slated for discard were collected weekly and sent monthly to Day Zero Diagnostics for sequencing. In total, 1,036 samples from 926 patients were analyzed for genomic relatedness, a scalable and automated analysis pipeline already in use for rapid (days) characterization of genomic-relatedness in small and large sets of isolates. Mapping and SNP calling was performed against high-quality, best-match reference genomes. Sets of samples with pairwise distance of 2 persons with genomically related isolates and were denoted as “clusters.” Separately, we also investigated within-patient diversity by quantifying the genomic relatedness of isolates collected from individual patients. Results: Isolates represented 28 distinct species. We identified 10 Escherichia coli clusters (range, 2–4 patients; median, 2 patients), 2 Klebsiella pneumoniae clusters (range, 2–4 patients), and 1 Enterococcus faecium cluster (3 patients). All but 1 involved genomically matched isolates from multiple hospital locations. There were 4 Escherichia coli ST131 clusters spanning 4 months, including 1 with 4 patients across 3 different hospital locations. At a species level, there were distinct differences between the observed SNP distances between samples isolated from the same versus different patients (Fig. 1). All identified clusters had not been flagged by routine outbreak detection methods used by the UCI infection prevention program. Conclusions: Comprehensive WGS-based surveillance of hospital clinical isolates identified multiple potential transmission events between patients not in the same unit at the time cultures were taken. Combining WGS detection and real-time epidemiologic investigation may identify new avenues of transmission risk and could provide early warnings of clonal transmission to prevent larger outbreaks. High-volume surveillance of hospital isolates can also provide species- and context-specific clonality.Financial support: This study was funded by Day Zero Diagnostics.Disclosures: None

Mental health and well-being in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic among different population subgroups: evidence from representative longitudinal data in Germany

ObjectivesTo examine potential deteriorations in mental health and well-being in the first COVID-19 pandemic year compared with the previous decade focusing on the following vulnerable subgroups in Germany: women with...

Strengthening couple functioning promotes resilience to COVID-19-related stressors among Black Americans.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in substantial hardship for Black Americans, leading to increased stress and mental health difficulties. We used longitudinal data from the Protecting Strong African American Families (ProSAAF) intervention study to test the hypothesis that improved couple functioning following ProSAAF participation would serve as a constructed resilience resource during the pandemic, buffering the impact of elevated pandemic-related stressors on change in depressive symptoms. We found that COVID-19-related stress predicted change in depressive symptoms from prepandemic to during the pandemic, that ProSAAF predicted improved couple functioning, and that positive change in couple functioning buffered the impact of pandemic stressors on change in depressive symptoms. These effects resulted in a significant indirect buffering effect of ProSAAF on the association between COVID-19-related stress and change in depressive symptoms through its effects on change in couple functioning. The results suggest that relationship intervention may increase resilience to unanticipated community-wide stress and promote mental health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Parenting amidst COVID-19: Pandemic-related stressors, inequities, and treatment utilization and perceptions.

Many parents of children under age 18 are faced with additional COVID-19 parenting-related stressors and may be experiencing increases in psychological difficulties;however, we have yet to investigate parent's levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and adjustment disorder. Further, COVID-19 has served as a sobering reminder of the significant public health disparities in our society and it is critical to identify risk factors for poorer clinical outcomes. The primary objectives of the present study were to: (a) determine whether parents are reporting higher levels of pandemic-related stress, PTSS, and adjustment disorder than controls, (b) identify specific individual-level factors (e.g., age, gender, race, number of children, age of children) that may be related to higher levels of stress and symptoms among parents, and (c) report parents' utilization of, and perceived efficacy of, psychological interventions during COVID-19. A U.S. nationally representative sample (N = 2,019) from Qualtrics Data panels was recruited in July-August 2020. Parents endorsed higher levels of stress, PTSS, and adjustment disorder, particularly younger parents. Further, 38.3% of parents reported PTSS above clinical cutoff. Younger participants and persons of color reported higher levels of pandemic-related stress. One-third of parents (33.1%) reported using online mental health services. Taken together, parents may be at greater risk for pandemic stress, PTSS, and adjustment disorder symptoms. Individual-level risk factors, such as age and minority status, are important to consider when understanding COVID-19 stress. Clinical intervention efforts should prioritize trauma-focused treatments for parents, especially those who are younger and identify as a person of color. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

The Korean Version of Pandemic Stress Questionnaire: Validation in Korean Population

The spread of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has acted as a significant stressor among individuals, causing a variety of psychological problems. The purpose of this study is to determine the level of stress caused by COVID-19 by translating and validating the Pandemic Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) in Korean, which measures stressful event caused by COVID-19. A statistical analysis was performed on 167 participants. The scale's internal consistency was verified using Cronbach's α. Furthermore, a correlation analysis was carried out to examine the relationships between Perceived Stress Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-15, and World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument Brief Form. Lastly, a multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the effect of pandemic-related stressful events on depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms. Cronbach's α for Korean version of PSQ (K-PSQ) Severity was 0.79, and that for K-PSQ Event was 0.78. The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that pandemic stress events have an effect on anxiety and somatic symptoms. The K-PSQ is a tool in which individuals can simultaneously measure the occurrence of stressful events caused by COVID-19 and the severity of stress that is often experienced as a result. It is expected that this tool will be useful in the mental health field for measuring COVID-19-related stress.

OECD pension funds as an investment resource at the beginning of the third decade

Pension strategies in OECD countries, the dynamics of pension fund assets at the beginning of the third century are highlighted in the article. Long term demographic pressure from ageing are accompanied at the end of the second – the beginning of the third decades by pandemic challenges with unstable contributions, slowing expectancy gains in old age, problems of low retirement benefits. After the first year coronavirus pandemic stress, the retirement savings in pension funds grew faster than GDP in the OECD area. Pension fund assets continue growing in almost all countries of the area, with the highest rate in Turkey, Lithuania; also a double-digit growth assets rate in Finland, France, Greece, New Zeeland, the United States, etc. As pension fund assets show large variations across countries, the decline of assets was mentioned in Chile, Peru, Estonia. The largest volume of assets are in the United States pension funds leaving far beyond the assets in each of the other countries; but taking the assets percent of GDP, in the Netherlands, Iceland, Denmark it’s higher than in the United States.

Cumulative Pandemic Stressors, Psychosocial Resources, and Psychological Distress: Toward a More Comprehensive Test of a Pandemic Stress Process

Although the mental health consequences of individual COVID-19 stressors (e.g., bereavement, job loss, or financial strain) have been well-documented, little is known about the cumulative toll of multiple pandemic stressors. Using national data from the Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (May–June 2021), we test whether the accumulation of pandemic stressors is associated with greater psychological distress. We also consider whether this association is moderated by psychosocial resources (i.e., mastery, self-esteem, and social support). Our findings suggest that individuals who report three or more pandemic stressors tend to exhibit greater psychological distress than those who report fewer pandemic stressors or no pandemic stressors. While mastery offsets the impact of pandemic stressors at higher levels of stress exposure (i.e., two or more COVID-19 stressors), social support and self-esteem played a stress-buffering role to a point, but became ineffective at the highest levels of pandemic stress. The current study provides new insights into the pandemic stress process by conceptualizing and operationalizing the cumulative impact of COVID-19 stressors. We also confirm the continued significance of traditional coping resources in the context of novel pandemic stressors.

Consumption coping to deal with pandemic stress: impact on subjective well-being and shifts in consumer behavior

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the role of consumption coping in managing collective tragedy stress and stress outcomes using the COVID-19 pandemic context.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method study with a sample size of 931 was conducted to develop the questionnaire, followed by a quantitative study with 1,215 respondents to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results of this study empirically validated the use of consumption coping and found it effective in managing collective tragedy stress and its outcomes (subjective well-being and continuance intention).Research limitations/implicationsThis study advances the literature on stress coping in a collective tragedy context, with a specific focus on consumption coping.Practical implicationsThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected all elements of the marketing mix. Understanding pandemic-induced stress and the role of consumption coping can help managers to proactively formulate strategic responses suitable for changing consumer habits.Social implicationsThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected all elements of the marketing mix. Understanding pandemic-induced stress and the role of consumption coping can help managers to proactively formulate strategic responses suitable for changing consumer habits. This should lead to better social outcomes.Originality/valueThis study developed a scale for pandemic-induced stress that integrates various well-established theories to identify the role of consumption coping in managing collective tragedy stress and the psychological mechanism behind the shift in consumer behavior after a collective tragedy.

Mediating Effect of Ego-Resilience in the Relationship between COVID-19 Pandemic Stress and Depression in Nursing Students

Purpose: This study was undertaken to confirm the mediating effect of ego-resilience between COVID-19 pendemic stress and depression in nursing students. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey enrolling 125 nursing students who voluntarily participated in the study and had experienced the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from May 1 to 22, 2022 through an online questionnaire comprising 74 questions. Data analysis was achieved using SPSS/Win 25.0 program by frequency and percentage, mean and standard deviation, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and pearson’s correlation. Mediation analysis was also conducted using Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Model 4). Result: The mean scores for depression was 2.87. The mediation effects in step 1 indicated that COVID-19 pandemic stress had a statistically significant negative effect on ego-resilience and a significant positive effect on depression. In step 2, ego-resilience imparted a statistically significant negative effect on depression. In step 3, complete mediating effects of ego-resilience were determined on the relationship between COVID-19 pandemic stress and depression. Conclusion: In order to improve the ego-resilience of nursing students, it is necessary to develop and apply an ego-resilience improvement program as a curriculum or extracurricular program in nursing colleges. Such endeavors will strategize in reducing depression among nursing students.

Examining pandemic stress and mental health among a community-based sample of sexual minority women in Los Angeles County

ABSTRACT In partnership with community stakeholders, the present study aimed to gather descriptive data on pandemic-related stress and its association with mental health outcomes among a community sample of self-identified sexual minority women (SMW) in Los Angeles County (N = 84; Mage = 35.61). The sample was comprised solely of women (i.e. self-identified gender identity as woman, including cisgender and transgender women). Data were collected in April 2021, the ‘third wave’ of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Los Angeles experienced some of the highest COVID-19 incidence rates in the United States. Yet, there was a significant lack of COVID-19 data on SMW, thus making it difficult to address the specific needs of this community. Background data were collected on pre-existing health conditions and COVID-19 infection history. Data were specific to COVID-19 stressors in the areas of mental health, financial strain, social isolation and health and discrimination concerns. Findings revealed that mental health concern was strongly associated with financial strain (r = .63, p < .01), social isolation (r = .62, p < .01) and health and discrimination concerns (r = .63, p < .01), thus demonstrating the wide-ranging negative impact of pandemic stressors on the mental health of SMW in Los Angeles during the third wave of COVID-19. Recommendations for future research, practice and policy implications are discussed.

Etiological factors associated with functional tic-like behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic (P11-11.015)

<h3>Objective:</h3> To explore the hypothesized etiological factors affecting the functional tic like behaviour (FTLB) cohort that emerged since the onset of the pandemic. <h3>Background:</h3> FTLB are a form of functional movement disorder resembling Tourette Syndrome (TS) that surged in prevalence during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic. Exposure to tic-related social media content, pandemic stressors, and comorbid neuropsychiatric disorders are factors hypothesized to contribute to the sudden increase in FTLB. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> FTLB patients (n= 34) age/sex matched with TS (n = 21), and healthy controls (HC) (n=21) completed self-report measures and a clinical neuropsychiatric interview that investigated social media use, suggestibility, distress tolerance, demographics, attachment style, SARS-COV-2 related experiences, family history, family functioning, loneliness, and neuropsychiatric comorbidities. Group differences were Bonferroni corrected. <h3>Results:</h3> FTLB had higher levels of depression (p &lt;.001), suicidality (p &lt;.001), panic disorder (p=.029), and were more likely to gender identify as trans/non-binary/genderfluid (p =.013) than TS and HC. Compared to HC, FTLB patients experienced higher levels of anxiety (p =.005), vulnerable attachment (p =.004), agoraphobia (p=.016), borderline personality traits (p =.004), psychotic symptoms (p =.049), ADHD (p =.035), neuropsychiatric family history (p &lt;.001), pandemic related sleep disturbance (p=.002) and loneliness (p =.038). FTLB reported poorer pandemic school performance compared to TS (p=.043). FTLB and HC were more likely to first learn about tics through social media than TS. Suggestibility, distress tolerance, family functioning, exposure to tic-related content on social media, time spent online, social media integration and comparison, and most pandemic experiences tested were not significantly different. Distress tolerance posed the only significant interaction between group and gender identity in HC. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> Neuropsychiatric comorbidities emerged as the strongest etiological factor related to FTLB. The insignificant direct relationship between FTLB to tic-related content on social media may be due to ubiquitous exposure to tic-content suggesting the influence of social media is mediated by unexplored factors. <b>Disclosure:</b> Ms. Berg has nothing to disclose. The institution of Dr. Pringsheim has received research support from Maternal Newborn Child and Youth Strategic Clinical Network. The institution of Dr. Pringsheim has received research support from Owerko Center of Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute. The institution of Dr. Pringsheim has received research support from Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The institution of Dr. Pringsheim has received research support from Public Health Agency of Canada. Dr. Martino has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Roche. Dr. Martino has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Merz Pharma Canada Ltd..

Longitudinal effects of pandemic stressors and dyadic coping on relationship satisfaction during the COVID‐19 pandemic

AbstractObjectiveThis study examined changes in relationship satisfaction during the COVID‐19 pandemic and the moderating roles of financial strain, perceived threat of COVID‐19, and dyadic coping.BackgroundThe systemic‐transactional model of dyadic coping posits that relationship satisfaction varies as a function of the stressors partners face and their engagement in dyadic coping.MethodAbout 188 partnered adults completed questionnaires at three time points during the initial confinement period of the COVID‐19 pandemic and at a 20‐month follow‐up.ResultsRelationship satisfaction increased during the first confinement period and returned to its baseline level at the 20‐month follow‐up. Greater financial strain and perceived threat of COVID‐19 were associated with poorer relationship satisfaction over time. Dyadic coping buffered the negative impact of financial strain on relationship satisfaction during the initial confinement period, but not 20 months later.ConclusionsMost individuals were resilient to the effect of pandemic stressors on relationship satisfaction. The buffering effect of dyadic coping was observed during the initial confinement period when access to support resources outside the family unit was curtailed.ImplicationsIntervention efforts to promote dyadic coping and financial well‐being for couples may be especially helpful in the context of strict confinement measures.

On the Influence of the University Tenure on the Digital Pandemic Stress in Higher Education Faculty

This paper conducts quantitative research on the levels of stress generated in Latin American professors due to the abrupt digitalization of higher education resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the differences in this digital stress between professors from private and public universities are analyzed. For this purpose, a validated questionnaire has been used and passed to a sample of 750 professors from 20 different Latin American countries, whose responses have been statistically analyzed. As results, it has been obtained that there are no significant differences between the average levels of digital stress of professors of private and public universities due to the pandemic. However, the way in which this digital stress has affected Latin American professors according to gender and age is different depending on the university tenure. As a consequence, some implications and recommendations derived from the results are presented.

The Impact of Social Isolation on Pandemic Stress and Aggressive Behavior of Adolescents during the COVID-19 Period

The Impact of Social Isolation on Pandemic Stress and Aggressive Behavior of Adolescents during the COVID-19 Period

Stability and Change in Adolescents’ Sense of Agency: Contributions of Sex, Multiple Risk, Pandemic Stress, and Attachment to Parents

Although literature states that individual, relational, and contextual factors contribute to adolescents’ sense of agency, more research is needed to clarify and understand how adolescents develop this belief over time. The current study examined the stability/change trajectories of the sense of agency during adolescence, specifically across high school, analyzing whether attachment to parents over time, adolescents’ sex, cumulative risk in baseline, and pandemic-related stress explained these trajectories. The sample included 467 Portuguese adolescents (40.7% were males; Mage = 15.58 years, SD = 0.80), evaluated three times across 18 months. This work yielded three significant findings. First, adolescents’ sense of agency significantly increased over time, with significant between-subject variance at the initial levels but not at the growth rate. Second, attachment to parents consistently links to adolescents’ sense of agency across time, despite the differential contributions from attachment to mothers and fathers. Third, boys reported greater growth in the sense of agency than girls. Adolescents’ cumulative risk at T1 predicted lower initial levels of sense of agency, whereas higher pandemic-related stress predicted less growth of the sense of agency. These findings emphasize the contributions of individual and family characteristics and the role of the broader social context in shaping the development of adolescents’ sense of agency. The findings underline the need to consider further the differential influences of adolescents’ relationships with mothers and fathers to understand changes in adolescents’ sense of agency.

Pandemic distress associated with segregation and social stressors.

Racial/ethnic minorities are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as they are more likely to experience structural and interpersonal racial discrimination, and thus social marginalization. Based on this, we tested for associations between pandemic distress outcomes and four exposures: racial segregation, coronavirus-related racial bias, social status, and social support. Data were collected as part of a larger longitudinal national study on mental health during the pandemic (n = 1,309). We tested if county-level segregation and individual-level social status, social support, and coronavirus racial bias were associated with pandemic distress using cumulative ordinal regression models, both unadjusted and adjusted for covariates (gender, age, education, and income). Both the segregation index (PR = 1.19; 95% CI 1.03, 1.36) and the coronavirus racial bias scale (PR = 1.17; 95% CI 1.06, 1.29) were significantly associated with pandemic distress. Estimates were similar, after adjusting for covariates, for both segregation (aPR = 1.15; 95% CI 1.01, 1.31) and coronavirus racial bias (PR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.02, 1.24). Higher social status (aPR = 0.74; 95% CI 0.64, 0.86) and social support (aPR = 0.81; 95% CI 0.73, 0.90) were associated with lower pandemic distress after adjustment. Segregation and coronavirus racial bias are relevant pandemic stressors, and thus have implications for minority health. Future research exploring potential mechanisms of this relationship, including specific forms of racial discrimination related to pandemic distress and implications for social justice efforts, are recommended.

Pandemic coping and COVID-19 preventive behaviors among cancer survivors

BackgroundCancer survivors are at greater risk for COVID-19 complications, emphasizing the importance of adherence to COVID-19 prevention. Active coping mechanisms can help manage pandemic stress but disengaged coping practices can have adverse effects. Objectives1) Identify differences in COVID-19 coping styles and COVID-19 preventive behaviors among cancer survivors in active treatment, survivors not in treatment, and a comparison group without a cancer history. 2) Exploring variables that may predict adherence to COVID-19 preventative behaviors. Patient involvement & methodsThis study used an online survey among two categories of cancer survivors – one group in active treatment and one group no longer in treatment – and one group without a cancer history (N = 897 total). Results and discussionCancer survivors in treatment were more likely to utilize both active and disengaged coping (p < .001). This could indicate that the additional COVID-19 strain is making survivors more likely to engage in coping in any way possible. Cancer survivors not in treatment were less likely to report intent to carry out COVID- 19 preventative behaviors compared to the comparison group (p = .009). Providers should understand how survivors may use both coping mechanism types because these coping strategies predict both depression and adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviors.