People Coping Research Articles

Assessment on Mental Health Status During Post Covid-19 Pandemic

Aim: This study aim to assess changes in the mental health status among adolescents and middle-aged adults during the post-Covid-19 epidemic. Methods: The study's data were gathered using a cross-sectional methodology using an online survey of 60 adults and adolescents. A cross-sectional survey was conducted online using a google form, and participants were sent the surveys via Facebook, WhatsApp, and email. Result: Maintaining one's mental and physical health is a vital topic that worries people During the Covid-19 epidemic, everywhere. The covid-19 epidemic was found to have an effect on people's mental health and lifestyle choices after the pandemic. Less than 15% of participants reported mental health issues like anxiety, stress, depression, sleeplessness, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorders), and lower levels of happiness. The majority of participants stated that they occasionally or briefly encountered mental health disorders, whereas the remainder of the subjects stated that they had no such problems following the COVID-19 epidemic. 42% of subjects reported that their mental status were good after covid-19. 8.3% were poor mental health and 7% of subjects didn’t any idea about their mental health status. Conclusion: Globally, and especially among adults and adolescents, people's mental health has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has made many people feel more stressed, anxious, depressed, and socially isolated, which has greatly affected their mental health. Social abilities of adolescents and development have been impacted by the isolation brought on by lockdowns and other social exclusionary practices, which may have long-term effects. Especially among adults and teenagers, who are more susceptible to the pandemic's impacts. In order to assist people in coping with the pandemic's continued effects on their mental health, it is imperative that these difficulties be addressed with prompt treatments and support.

What should I say? Online dating and disclosure experiences of adults with mental illness in long‐term romantic relationships

AbstractThe present study examined accounts of online and in‐person dating experiences from adults with mental illness who are in long‐term romantic relationships (N = 23). In focus group discussions, participants described their views of advantages and disadvantages of online dating and in‐person dating, how they constructed online dating profiles, decisions about disclosure of their mental health conditions to current romantic partners, and advice about dating for other people coping with mental illness. Overall, participants reported feeling less comfortable with online dating than in‐person dating. A majority of the sample reported that they intentionally excluded information about their mental health status from their online dating profiles. Present findings identified themes from participant accounts about disclosure of their mental illness to their romantic partners that included spontaneous or intentional disclosure, situational or circumstantial disclosure, delayed disclosure due to lack of information, and avoided disclosure. Adults' advice to others with mental illness centred on how to maintain romantic relationships. The importance of research focused on the lived experience of adults with mental illness in long‐term romantic relationships and practical implications of present findings are discussed.

Stigma and Supportive Communication in the Context of Mental or Emotional Distress: An Extension of the Paradox of Support Seeking in Close Relationships

Supportive communication can benefit people coping with the stigma that often accompanies mental or emotional distress; however, people might be reluctant to seek support effectively, if at all, for these types of stressors. Guided by the paradox of support seeking, this study expands understanding of how and why people seek support by examining multiple dimensions of stigma, exploring factors that hinder or facilitate people’s decision to seek support, and investigating nuanced support seeking behaviors in the context of mental or emotional distress. Results ( N = 406) revealed that internalization and visibility of stigma differentially impacted strategies people chose to seek support. Whereas visibility corresponded with direct seeking and more emotional content, internalized stigma was associated with avoidance. Perceived costs served as barriers to seeking support, and efficacy buffered against the negative consequences of stigma by encouraging direct seeking and allowing for greater depth and emotional content when seeking support.

Trees and forests’ contribution to well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in England: how did people adapt to change?

Abstract COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic on 11 March 2020 and has meant entire populations have experienced a significant change in lifestyle. Restrictions in England occurred through a series of phases from a lockdown through to the opening of shops and facilities. The initial restrictions led to a strong media focus on nature and getting outdoors for exercise and mental well-being. Alongside this but not related to COVID-19, there is a strong policy focus on forest creation and expansion in England with debate about where new forests might be created, what benefits they might provide, and to whom. In this research, we explored, for those with an existing interest in nature, whether this connection to nature and specifically to trees and forests could support people in coping with the restrictions they faced during the pandemic. We carried out an online survey in England in June/July 2020 and received 3333 qualitative comments. We then carried out 25 follow-up interviews in August/September 2020 with a sample of those who had completed the survey. We use the Kübler-Ross change curve as a lens to explore people’s reactions and responses to the significant changes brought about by the COVID-19 crisis, with a focus on their experiences relating to trees and forests. The results highlight that some people did move through the four stages of change outlined in the Kübler-Ross framework, although not always in a linear process, from shock and denial, to resistance, to exploration, and adaptation. The change curve model proved useful in this study but also had some limitations. Engagement with forests supported some adaptation as well as exploration through people undertaking new activities, visiting local spaces, and spending more time outdoors with their children. We also found that the benefits of engaging with trees and forests could help to support people’s well-being in times of high anxiety. The study highlights the importance of trees and forests as part of people’s lives, and the role they can play in supporting them when faced with major challenges.

Household food-security strategies and migration in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Food security has continued to be a global concern despite progress in the international agenda to reduce food insecurity over the last decades. A considerable number of populations are facing difficulties in dealing with hunger globally. Ethiopia is among the countries that face persistent challenges to achieving food security. However, the subjective dimension of food security has not received much attention in the food-security literature. This study, therefore, aims to assess food security in Ethiopia's Tigray region, using self-reported parameters to apply a household food-insecurity access scale (HFIAS) score, and also recording people's coping behaviors in the context of migration. We assessed how different livelihoods contribute to household food security where migration is assessed as adaptive livelihood and short term means of coping strategy during food insufficiency. Since food security is an outcome of livelihood, the paper further examines the need to integrate livelihood-based approaches to assessing food security. A qualitative research approach was used for the study, with Participatory Research Approach (PRA) methods and household interviews being employed to acquire the data. Data transcription, cleaning, coding, and restructuring were performed on the datasets while descriptive statistics, including frequency and cross-tabulation, were used in the analyses. HFIAS results show that the reversible coping strategies applied when food crisis persists include consumption of foods of the same variety or cheaper or less-preferred foods, remittance, reduction of food portion size, selling of assets, daily labor and borrowing money or grain. The livelihoods of the households perused mainly included agriculture, migration, and off-farm and non-farm activities. The results further revealed that all the households engaged in agriculture, with 67% of them owning an average of 0.5 ha of land. The major finding reveals that households with diversified livelihoods including remittance income were found to be more food-secure; therefore, we concluded that the overall livelihood has to be addressed to ascertain rural households’ food security.

The mutual enhancing effect of music and drugs and its eventual cessation in the lives of people coping with substance abuse: A qualitative inquiry

The mutual enhancing effect of music and drugs and its eventual cessation in the lives of people coping with substance abuse: A qualitative inquiry

Policy responses to real world challenges associated with NEET youth: a scoping review

In the last decades, young people not in education or employment have become the focus of policy-makers worldwide, and there are high political expectations for various intervention initiatives. Despite the global focus, there is currently a lack of systemic knowledge of the factors supporting policy-making. Therefore, using scoping review methodology, a systematic literature overview of research findings in 2013–2021 on young people not in education or employment will be provided. The research revealed five categories to consider from a policy-making perspective: “NEET” as a concept, the heterogeneity of the target group, the impact of policies for young people, possible interventions, and factors influencing young people's coping strategies. Based on analysis, the target group requires applying the holistic principle where the young person is a unique person whose involvement in service creation supports the service's compliance with the actual needs of young people. To support young people, it is important to consider differences within a single social group; the interaction between the different site-based policies; young people's sense of self-perception and autonomy in entering support services; possible coping strategies and the need to provide support in a time and place-based flexible and caring environment through multidisciplinary teams. The study's results support the importance of implementation and the identification of existing opportunities of the EU's reinforced Youth Guarantee guidelines and point to possible future research topics related to the target group.

Predicting coping with expectation violations: combining the ViolEx Model and the Covariation Principle.

An experimental vignette study examined whether three specific situational cues predict ways of coping with violated expectations. The situational cues (consistency, distinctiveness, consensus) were derived from the Covariation Principle. The assessed coping strategies were based on the ViolEx Model-assimilation (activities to fulfill one's expectation), accommodation (expectation change) and immunization (ignoring the discrepant information). A sample of 124 adults (mean age = 23.60 years; 49.19 percent psychology students) were randomly assigned to an experimental and control condition. Participants of the experimental condition read several vignettes about expectation violations with systematically manipulated situational cues, while participants of the control condition received the same vignettes without such cues. Participants had to rate the usefulness of each coping strategy per vignette. The situational cues mostly led to response shifts in coping tendencies: Situations with low consistency cues mostly led to immunization, whereas high consistency led to assimilation in the case of high distinctiveness and to accommodation in the case of low distinctiveness. Consensus cues only played a minor part in the coping process. The results show that situational characteristics influence people's coping behavior, regardless of their dispositional preferences for certain coping strategies.

Structural equation model of coping and life satisfaction of community-dwelling older people during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundCOVID-19 put older individuals at high risk for morbidity and mortality, isolation, reduced coping, and lower satisfaction with life. Many older adults experienced social isolation, fear, and anxiety. We hypothesized that successful coping with these stressors would maintain or improve satisfaction with life, a crucial psychological outcome during the pandemic. Our study investigated relationships between older people’s coping and life satisfaction during the pandemic and their optimism, sense of mastery, closeness with spouse, family, and friends, and vulnerabilities from frailty, comorbid diseases, memory problems, and dependencies in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL).MethodsThe study was based on a special COVID-19 sample of 1351 community-dwelling older adults who participated in the 2020 Health and Retirement Survey. A comprehensive structural equation modeling was used to test direct and indirect effects, with life satisfaction as the main outcome and coping as a mediator between the other variables and coping.ResultsMost survey respondents were female and between the ages of 65–74 years. They averaged 1.7 chronic conditions, one in seven was frail, about one-third rated their memory as fair or poor, and about one in seven reported one or more difficulties in IADL. As hypothesized—older people with increased sense of mastery and optimism were better able to cope and had greater life satisfaction. In addition, close relationships with friends and with other family members besides the spouse/partner or children contributed to more successful coping, while the interpersonal closeness of all types contributed directly to greater life satisfaction. Finally, older people with more IADL limitations reported greater difficulty coping and lower life satisfaction, and those older people who were frail or had multiple comorbid diseases reported lower life satisfaction.ConclusionsOptimism, sense of mastery and closeness with family/friends promotes coping and life satisfaction, whereas frailty and comorbidities make coping more challenging and lead to lower life satisfaction particularly during a pandemic. Our study improves on prior research because of its nationally representative sample and formal specification and testing of a comprehensive theoretical framework.

Supporting older people coping in a digital society: comparing case studies in China and Finland

ABSTRACT The use of information and communication technology (ICT) can enrich interactions and improve the quality of life of older people. However, some of them will face difficulties in dealing with digital technologies. Finland and China have conducted several projects coaching older people in using ICT. This article compares the different ways these social services are organised and maintained in two local projects. The data for this comparative case study were collected through participant observation and separate focus group interviews with three groups: older people, practitioners and volunteers. Despite enormous historical and cultural differences, the social service projects share similarities as multisectoral services. Support from the public sector and effectiveness in mobilising volunteers are the core reasons for the smooth implementation of these services. The results of this study may inform approaches to further social services that seek to improve the well-being of older people through ICT.

Cancer survival stories: Perception, creation, and potential use case.

Cancer patients often search for information about their health conditions online. Cancer patient narratives have established themselves as a way of providing information and education but also as an effective approach to improving coping with the disease. We investigated how people affected by cancer perceive cancer patient narratives and whether such stories can potentially improve coping during their own cancer journeys. Additionally, we reflected on whether our co-creative citizen science approach can contribute to gaining knowledge about cancer survival stories and providing peer support. We applied a co-creative citizen science approach by using quantitative and qualitative research methods with stakeholders (i.e., cancer patients, their relatives, friends and health professionals). Understandability and perceived benefits of cancer survival stories, coping, emotional reactions to the stories and helpful characteristics of the stories. Cancer survival stories were considered intelligible and beneficial, and they potentially support positive emotions and coping in people affected by cancer. Together with the stakeholders, we identified four main characteristics that evoked positive emotions and that were considered especially helpful: (1) positive attitudes towards life, (2) encouraging cancer journeys, (3) individual coping strategies for everyday challenges and (4) openly shared vulnerabilities. Cancer survival stories potentially support positive emotions and coping in people affected by cancer. A citizen science approach is suitable for identifying relevant characteristics of cancer survival stories and may become a helpful educational peer support resource for people coping with cancer. We adopted a co-creative citizen science approach, wherein citizens and researchers were equally involved throughout the entire project.

Expert's View on Central Components of the Actional Model of Older People's Coping with Health-Related Declines: A Pilot Study with Professional Caregivers.

Abri & Boll (2022) proposed the "Actional Model of Older People´s Coping with Health-Related Declines" to explain the use of various action alternatives of older persons for dealing with diseases, functional declines, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. It draws on a broad knowledge base: an action-theoretical model of intentional self-development, models of the use of assistive technologies (ATs) and medical services, qualitative studies on reasons for using or not-using ATs, and quantitative studies on older people's health-related goals. The present study aims to gather evidence to further refine this model by additionally relying on expert knowledge from professional caregivers serving older people. Six experienced geriatric nurses working in mobile care services or residential care facilities were interviewed about key components of the above model in relation to 17 older people aged 70 to 95 with stroke, arthrosis, or mild dementia. The results revealed additional goals of reducing or preventing health-related discrepancies beyond those already included in the model (e.g., moving without pain, doing things alone, driving a car again, social return). Moreover, new motivating or demotivating goals for using certain action possibilities were found (e.g., to be at home, to be alone, to rest, to motivate other older people). Finally, some new factors were identified from the biological-functional (e.g., illness, fatigue), technological (e.g., pain inducing ATs, maladaptive devices), and social contexts (e.g., lack of staff time) that are likely to promote or hinder the use of certain action possibilities. Implications for refining the model and future research are discussed.

Young people will shape the future

“People cannot achieve their fullest health potential unless they are able to take control of those things which determine their health” declares the Ottawa Charter, the founding statement on the promotion of health from the World Health Organization (1986).1 Yet to “take control” of the determinants of health—such as the obesogenic risks in the environment—can be hard for any person, but perhaps especially hard for younger people, who may have neither the resources nor the political influence to challenge the status quo. The first step is to recognize the value of youth involvement in the process of designing and implementing policies concerning obesity. Young people from across the globe truly have bright and innovative ideas that, of course, may sometimes differ from those of adults, but are by no means less valuable due to the fact that youngsters have their own unique perspective on the matters that the older generations are currently dealing with. Furthermore, young people such as myself will live with the results of those policies in the upcoming decades and therefore, it is crucial for us to get a chance to have an impact on our future. When it comes to health-related policies, young people are particularly interested because more and more teenagers suffer from, for instance, obesity or diabetes. Additionally, a common interest in these topics may be observed these days because youngsters—in general—have acquired a clear understanding of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. To give an example, I myself am a type 1 diabetic and that is why I have been familiarizing myself with the disease, healthy nutrition/lifestyle, and the general situation of people coping with diabetes or any complications of it in my country for the past 6 years. Indirectly, this is also the main reason why I decided to join the CO-CREATE Youth Declaration Task Force (see www.co-create.eu) when the opportunity of applying for a place in the program arose—I wanted to share the knowledge that I had previously gained. Even though the declaration may and should be further improved, we strongly believe that these four statements—if implemented by policymakers and other stakeholders—would drive change in the field. However, we cannot make these changes alone. We are not able to act without any help from the authorities and that is exactly why we want to be heard, carefully listened to, and included in the process of bringing the demands into effect. Then, together, we can truly “take control” and influence not only the present, but also the future.

A Universal Mental Health–Promoting Mobile App for Adolescents: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

In times of increasing mental health problems among young people, strengthening efforts to improve mental health through mental health promotion and prevention becomes increasingly important. Effective measures that support young people in coping with negative thoughts, feelings, and stress are essential, not just for the individual but also for society. The aim of this paper is to provide a description of a cluster randomized controlled trial that will be conducted to examine the effectiveness of Opp, a universal mental health-promoting mobile app for adolescents aged 13 to 19 years that provides information and exercises to better cope with stress, negative thoughts, and negative feelings. The protocol was developed in accordance with the SPIRIT checklist. An effectiveness study will be conducted with 3 measurement points: preintervention (T1), 2 weeks after the intervention (T2), and about 1 month after the intervention (T3). Adolescents will be recruited from middle and high schools in Norway and randomly assigned to the intervention or control groups. Randomization will be conducted on the school level. Opp can be downloaded from the Google Play or App Store but is password protected with a 4-digit code, which will be removed after study completion. Participants in the intervention group will receive a text message with the code to unlock the app. The participants in the intervention group can use Opp without limits on length or time of use. Objective data on how long or how often the participants use the app will not be collected. However, the second and third questionnaires for the intervention group contain app-specific questions on, for example, the use of the app. Recruitment and data collection started in August and September 2022. So far, 381 adolescents have answered the first questionnaire. Data collection was expected to end in December 2022 but has had to be prolonged to approximately June 2023. The results of the study will be available in 2023 at the earliest. This project will contribute unique knowledge to the field, as there are few studies that have examined the effects of universal health-promoting mobile apps for adolescents. However, several limitations have to be taken into account when interpreting the results, such as randomization on the school level, the short time frame in which the study was conducted, and the lack of objective data to monitor the use of the app. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05211713; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05211713. PRR1-10.2196/42119.

Religious coping and depressive symptoms in people living with HIV in Ghana

ABSTRACT People living with HIV (PLHIV) experience adverse psychological outcomes including depressive symptoms. This study examined the association between religious coping (Brief RCOPE) and depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS-D]) among 138 PLHIV in Ghana. The results indicated that 125 (90.6%) and 50 (36.2%) respondents reported using positive religious coping and experienced depressive symptoms respectively. A negative relationship (r = −.209, n = 138, p<.05) between positive religious coping and depressive symptoms was observed. Negative religious coping was found to positively associate (r = .025, n = 138, p>.05) with depressive symptoms. Thus, positive religious coping was associated with less depressive symptoms compared to negative religious coping. The study highlights the putative contributions of religious coping to the mental health outcomes of PLHIV in Ghana. Additionally, this study accentuates the clinical relevance of assessing depressive symptoms, promoting positive religious coping strategies, and designing culturally targeted interventions for PLHIV.

From Surviving to Living (on): A Grounded Theory Study on Coping in People with Pancreatic Cancer.

Little research has been conducted on the experience of pancreatic cancer from a patient's perspective. Several factors suggest that trajectory models of chronic illness or other cancers cannot be applied to pancreatic cancer. Within this grounded theory study, 26 problem-centred interviews were conducted with people with pancreatic cancer from Germany. A cancer-specific trajectory model was developed, depicting both curative and palliative courses. Two successive phases form the core: Immediately after diagnosis, there is an acute phase in which patients focus on mere survival, attempt to overcome the short-term consequences of pancreatic cancer and search for information. This initial phase is followed by a circular phase of living on with pancreatic cancer, characterized by adaptation to the long-term consequences of the disease and a repeated experience of fear of recurrence or progression and threat in the context of follow-up examinations. Understanding disease trajectories from a patient's perspective enables health professionals better to understand patients' needs, concerns, and fears and better support them in coping. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00020251, 13.01.2020.

Predictors of PTSD and Psychological Distress Symptoms of Ukraine Civilians During war.

War may raise the level of distress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study explores the extent to which 4 factors determine levels of PTSD and distress symptoms of Ukraine civilians (without developing PTSD) during the current war. The data were collected via a Ukrainian internet panel company. 1001 participants responded to a structured online questionnaire. Path analysis was conducted to identify predictive indicators of PTSD scores. PTSD symptoms positively correlated with respondents' level of exposure to the war and their sense of danger, and negatively correlated with well-being, family income, and age. Females scored higher on PTSD symptoms. Path analysis showed that higher exposure to war and higher sense of danger increase PTSD and distress symptoms, whereas higher well-being, higher individual resilience, and being a man, as well as older age decrease their level. Despite the strong effects of the coping suppressing factors, most respondents did not reach the critical level of PTSD or distress symptoms. At least 4 positive and negative factors account for people's coping with stressful experiences: previous traumatic experiences, individual level of pathology, personality attributes, and socio-demographic characteristics. The balance of these factors protects most people from PTSD symptoms despite their being affected by war traumas.

Examining Coping and Resilience in People with Acquired Brain Injury During the Pandemic

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To understand the relationship between use of coping skills and resilience in adults with an acquired brain injury (ABI) during the beginning of the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. <h3>Design</h3> Survey data was collected via online platform, Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap). <h3>Setting</h3> The general community. <h3>Participants</h3> Participants as part of a convenience sample included self-identified adults with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or stroke, 18 years or older (n = 99). Exclusion criteria were other neurological diagnoses or serious mental illnesses. <h3>Interventions</h3> Not applicable. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> The outcome measures were the following: COVID-19 Experiences subsection of the COVID-19: Impact of the Pandemic and Health Related Quality of Life in Cancer Patients and Survivors Scale (Cov-PHRQoL) and the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. <h3>Results</h3> There was a significant group difference for race, (p = .04), with the Non-Coping Group having more people of minority status. The Coping Group reported a greater appreciation of family and friends (p= .001), greater appreciation for life (p= .001), more grateful for each day (p= .001), accepting of what they can't change (p= .001), and finding new ways to connect family and friends (p= .001). Compared to the Non-Coping Group, the Coping Group reported significantly greater resiliency and growth from a difficult situation (p = 0.006). <h3>Conclusions</h3> The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine the relationship between coping skills and resilience in people with ABI when faced with a novel stressor. People who utilized coping skills demonstrated positive outcomes in the form of perceived benefits and greater appreciation for who they had in their life. Furthermore, the Coping group was able to reframe difficult situations to find psychological growth. More research must be done to determine the relationship between coping skills and resilience in people with ABI, as well as what aspects of coping skills and resilience are most crucial to producing positive outcomes for people with ABI when faced with novel stressors. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> None.

Burdens of Apprentices Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic and How They Deal with Them: A Qualitative Study Using Content Analysis One-Year Post-Breakout.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a variety of burdens for apprentices and, as a result, in a need for resources to deal with them. The present study examined answers to two open-ended questions, which were part of a larger online survey about the burdens and resources during the pandemic from 1442 Austrian apprentices. Data collection took place from 29 March to 18 May 2021. The answers were analyzed with qualitative content analysis and revealed that most apprentices were burdened by pandemic-related restrictions and rules, the impairment of their social life, and in their mental health. In terms of resources, they mostly fell back on their social contacts, especially their friends. Besides their social life, many apprentices also used personal attitudes, leisure activities, and distractions to deal with their stresses. The study sheds light on some of the background reasons for the high psychological distress among apprentices. In order to better support young people in coping with stress, it is recommended to expand preventive and educational mental health measures targeted at apprentices, to facilitate access to low-threshold psychosocial services for young people, and improve financial support for the receipt of these.

How people with pancreatic cancer experience the additional challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic: Preliminary results of an ad hoc analysis from a qualitative research project on coping of people with pancreatic cancer from Germany

How people with pancreatic cancer experience the additional challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic: Preliminary results of an ad hoc analysis from a qualitative research project on coping of people with pancreatic cancer from Germany