Positive Coping Skills Research Articles

Perceived stress, quality of life, and coping skills among patients with schizophrenia in symptomatic remission

BackgroundSchizophrenia is one of the worst diseases with its ubiquitous challenges due to its unique psychopathology and life events. Patients with schizophrenia use various coping strategies to overcome distress. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between perceived stress, quality of life, and coping skills in patients with schizophrenia in remission. A total of 48 consecutive patients of schizophrenia, in remission, attending outpatient department of psychiatry at Academic hospital, South India, who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited for the present study. The participants were assessed on Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale, Ways of Coping Checklist – Revised and Perceived Stress Scale and WHO Quality of Life. Results were analyzed using appropriate statistical package software v 16.0.ResultHighest medial was found in self-controlling and positive reappraisal coping skills. Distancing is associated with high physical domain of quality of life whereas patients with good social support score more in social and physical domain of quality of life.ConclusionPatients with history of schizophrenia even though in remission dwell a stressful life. They often need different kind of social support or cognitive aids. In that view, studying their stress level, ability to cope with it, and quality of life will help us to manage them in better way.

Exploring Psychological Stress among Health Care Worker AMID Pandemic COVID-19 in Malaysia

The COVID-19 pandemic is a novelty that is affecting everyone. Pandemic-related problems, such as isolation and quarantine, social distance, economic and social pressure, may arise to cause major psychological problems specifically to those whom get infected by COVID-19, followed by frontliners such as health care workers and generally public. Thus, this study was conducted to explore psychological stress among health care worker amid COVID-19 pandemic, coping strategies and needs required by health care workers. This qualitative method, using purposive sampling with semi-structured via phone/online interviews among thirteen health care worker who worked in Government Clinic and Hospital in one of the District in Pahang state, Malaysia. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. 13 health care personnel were participated in this study with at least about 10 years working experiences. Demographic data include various variable such age, gender, role, marital status, working experiences and their original department. Data analysis discovered that 3 major themes capturing the important elements involves and contributed to psychological stress among health care worker during COVID-19 pandemic from this cohort group. The themes were classified as COVID-19 implications, coping strategies and needs. Each of the themes are further elaborated in details through the identification of sub-themes which consist of Psychological Effect, Working Environment, Social Effects, Self-care, Expression of Feelings (Emotion focused), Problem-focused coping strategie, Psychosocial support and Resource Management. Therefore, it is important to deal and recognize the ongoing distress that could be negatively impaired frontliners. Regular contact between support person should be consider to improve better self-adaptation, positive coping skills and self-care strategies. Nevertheless, consideration among policy makers and government are highly expected in serving frontliners while facing struggles and challenges during present pandemic. Implementation of services and targeted policy turn pivotal thus would protect frontliners, mentally and physically, to maintain the functioning of our nation’s healthcare.

Enabling patients in effective self-management of breathlessness in lung cancer: the neglected pillar of personalized medicine.

Globally, engagement of patients in the self management of disease and symptom problems has become a health policy priority to improve health outcomes in cancer. Unfortunately, little attention has been focused on the provision of self-management support (SMS)in cancer and specifically for complex cancer symptoms such as breathlessness. Current management of breathlessness, which includes treatment of underlying disease, pharmacological agents to address comorbidities and opiates and anxiolytics to change perception and reduce the sense of breathing effort, is inadequate. In this perspective paper, we review the rationale and evidence for a structured, multicomponent SMS program in breathlessness including four components: breathing retraining, enhancing positive coping skills, optimizing exertional capacity and reducing symptom burden and health risks. The integration of SMS in routine lung cancer care is essential to improve breathlessness, reduce psychological distress, suffering and improve quality of life.

Fight, flight or faith: A pastoral model for spiritual coping

This article is dedicated to Professor Gert Breed who had an indelible influence in the expansion of Pastoral Theology in South Africa: first as minister, and second as Professor in Practical Theology. In line with Professor Breed’s keen interest in the interdisciplinary approach between Theology and, for instance, Physiology and Psychology, the main aim of this article is to show how utilising spiritual coping strategies could help the Christian to cope with stress from a faith perspective. Spiritual coping was defined as an individual’s ability to utilise faith in God and Judeo-Christian religious beliefs, as well as active practices to appraise, understand and effectively cope with stressful life events. A literature study was conducted on human defence response and spiritual coping to demonstrate the adverse effects of chronic defensiveness and stress. Spiritual coping was assessed from a scriptural approach to determine what biblical perspectives regarding coping, defensiveness and spirituality may be revealed. Effective coping strategies were explored to indicate how positive spiritual coping skills could be utilised as an alternative to chronic defensives. The Believe-Belong-Behave pastoral model was proposed for the utilisation of spiritual coping methods and skills that could improve psychophysiological well-being. The Believe-Belong-Behave model consists of three categories that each highlight different individual skills, corporate practices, and practical action steps, which, when applied consistently, could all function in harmony to promote psychophysiological well-being. The components of the proposed pastoral model could offer a harmonious contribution towards spiritual coping and the Christian’s spiritual formation within the local church.Contribution: This article assessed theological perspectives and biblical practices within the basic tenets of Reformed theology to identify resemblances to stress appraisal and human defensiveness throughout the historical course of Scripture. This study in Practical Theology highlighted the importance of combining a strong scriptural or theological foundation with certain practical skills to respond to stressors from a faith-in-action perspective. The proposed pastoral model showed the modern-day Christian how faith in God could be used to cope with stress more effectively.

Intelligence matters for stochastic feedback processing during sequence learning in adolescents and young adults

The ability to effectively handle partly false feedback is an important skill because it can disrupt an already mastered ability. An instant and drastic deterioration occurred in 8- to 11-year-old children's sequence learning of four left-right button presses from close to ceiling performance with 100% deterministic feedback to about 30% accuracy when they encountered stochastic feedback that was only 85% correct and 15% randomly false (Lange-Küttner et al., 2012). However, children's performance recovered in repeated trials, but only after positive feedback even if it was false. The present study investigates whether this deterioration and recovery from partly false feedback still occurs in adolescents and young adults. We tested whether coping with partly false feedback is dependent on intelligence with the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices Test, or rather occurs because of better developed coping and defending in the social domain with the Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). In a sample of N = 75 adolescents from 13 years onwards until young adulthood, cognitive performance was low when encountering stochastic feedback, at 55.5% accuracy on average, but improved during repetitions. Intelligence was more important than emotional coping for successful processing of stochastic, partly false feedback. Also in adolescence and young adulthood, positive feedback appeared to support perseverance as it yielded significantly more recovery than negative feedback. Coping was not needed for recovery from partly false or negative feedback, but there were some rare cases of high intelligence and low positive coping skills with exceptionally low sequencing performance.

Demographic Characteristics, Coping Skills, and Parental Sense of Competence of Working and Nonworking Mothers

Demographics of Pakistani working and non-working mothers, coping skills and parental sense of competence was examined in this cross-sectional study. Two hundred (100 non-working & 100 working) mothers aged 20 to 50 years responded to demographic information, Brief Cope Scale (Carver, Scheier, & Weintraub, 1989) and Parental Sense Of Competence Scale (Gibaud-Walston & Wandersman, 1978). Results indicated that working mothers from nuclear family system used more positive coping skills and middle age working mothers were found to have more parental sense of competence than their counterparts. Interestingly, analysis of interactive effect revealed that young working mothers living in nuclear family system had more parental sense of competence than their counterparts. This study highlighted the importance of examining mother’s demographics in their coping and sense of competence in parenting. Findings would assist social psychologists to guide suitable infrastructure to mothers in both roles to improve their coping with higher parental sense of competence.

الفرص التربوية لأزمة كورونا المستجد covid-19 من وجهة نظر طالبات جامعة حفر الباطن

The emerging Corona virus crisis has imposed many challenges on all individuals and societies, but this crisis has carried a number of educational opportunities for individuals and institutions alike. Countries have given many opportunities to deal with the crisis, and benefit from the experiences of other countries in managing and containing the crisis, as well as It also provided individuals with multiple educational opportunities for growth, learning, and character development in all its aspects , The current study aimed to identify educational opportunities for the emerging corona crisis in the educational, social, cultural, sports and recreational fields, from the viewpoint of Hafr Al-Batin University students. From some colleges .The results of the study indicated an increase in students ’attainment rate during the crisis and their acquisition of skills in e-learning, acquiring positive coping skills with the crisis, participating in volunteer activities to serve the community, in addition to developing their cultural level, and increasing their awareness of the importance of playing sports to improve physical and mental health, as well as awareness. The importance of investing in leisure and recreation time .

Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health in Adolescents: A Systematic Review.

Due to lack of sufficient data on the psychological toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent mental health, this systematic analysis aims to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on adolescent mental health. This study follows the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews of 16 quantitative studies conducted in 2019–2021 with 40,076 participants. Globally, adolescents of varying backgrounds experience higher rates of anxiety, depression, and stress due to the pandemic. Secondly, adolescents also have a higher frequency of using alcohol and cannabis during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, social support, positive coping skills, home quarantining, and parent–child discussions seem to positively impact adolescent mental health during this period of crisis. Whether in the United States or abroad, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted adolescent mental health. Therefore, it is important to seek and to use all of the available resources and therapies to help adolescents mediate the adjustments caused by the pandemic.

Stress that Endures: Influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Daily Life Stress and Physical Health in Adulthood.

Background: Understanding the influence of ACEs on reported daily stress is needed to further address the role of ACEs on adult health and well-being. Methods: Data from 3,235 adults in the Midlife in the US (MIDUS) (Wave 1 (1995-1996) and Wave II (2004-2006)) were used. ACEs included emotional and physical abuse, household dysfunction, and financial strain. Daily stress was assessed using the National Study of Daily Experiences survey. Generalized Estimating Equations were used to examine the relationship between ACEs and Daily Stress. Results: ACE exposure was associated with higher number of reported stressors per day (p<.05), stressor severity (p<.05), number of physical symptoms reported (p<.05), and negative affect (p<.05). ACE count was significantly associated with multiple stressor types (OR=1.73, 95% 1.05-2.82) and number of days reported with stressor (RR=1.14, 95% 1.00-1.30). Abuse specifically was associated with a higher number of days reported with a stressor (RR=1.23, 95% CI 1.16 - 1.30). Limitations: Assessment of ACEs is retrospective and self-reported. Secondly, this data is limited by ACE category. Specifically, sexual abuse and other forms of family dysfunction were not included in this dataset. Conclusions: ACEs are associated with increased report of daily stress as an adult, reported physical symptoms as a result of stress, and reports of poor negative affect in adulthood. These findings highlight the role that ACEs play in the occurrence of reported daily stress during adulthood. Further investigation is needed to establish treatment and interventions for individuals who have experienced ACEs to avoid worsening health conditions and promote positive coping skills.

Hospice-at-home nurses' experiences of caring for patients.

The demand for hospice-at-home (HH) nurses is increasing due to an ageing global population and many people preferring to die at home. Therefore, the retention of existing HH nurses is vital. This paper explores HH nurses' experiences of caring for dying patients to discover the factors that enable them to maintain their enthusiasm for their work, and cope with the challenges of working in a patient's home. This qualitative study consisted of multiple unstructured interviews with 16 HH nurses conducted in England. The interviews show that HH nurses: use a broad range of coping mechanisms; encounter intense, complex, unpredictable and ethically unclear challenges; identify a need for more support; and love their job. In order for nurses to continue to enjoy their job, extra support to incorporate protected time for debriefing at the end of an HH nurse's shift is needed. Nurses also need training to develop positive coping skills, external supervision on a one-to-one basis as needed, and have their value demonstrated, by their employers and managers recognising and acknowledging them. These factors are likely to facilitate in the retention of employment of HH nurses.

Problems and Needs Persist for Oklahoma City Bombing Survivors Many Years Later.

Background: This study assesses long-term physical and emotional symptoms and unmet needs in direct survivors of the 1995 Oklahoma City terrorist bombing 18 ½ years after the event. Methods: A telephone questionnaire assessed psychiatric symptoms, health problems and coping strategies in 138 terrorism survivors (of whom 80% were physically injured) from a state registry of directly exposed persons, and 171 non-exposed community controls. Structured survey questions measured psychiatric symptoms, posttraumatic growth, general health problems and health care utilization. Open-ended questions explored survivors’ most important terrorism-related problems and needs. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods were undertaken. Results: Survivors reported similar rates of major health problems and general health care utilization, more anxiety and depression symptoms, and more ancillary health care use than controls on structured assessments. Survivors also reported posttraumatic growth, using several positive coping skills. Open-ended questions identified survivors’ specific continuing bombing-related problems, and needs which were not disclosed on the questionnaire; these included many lasting physical injuries, health problems (especially hearing difficulties), specific posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, other emotional symptoms, work and financial problems, interpersonal issues, and desires to help others. Conclusions: Results suggest that extended recovery services are needed long after terrorism exposure, and that open-ended assessment is useful to identify those requiring services.

Type 2 Diabetes, Religious Beliefs and Psychological Interventions

This paper is a review regarding the relationship among Type 2 diabetes (T2D), religious beliefs andpsychological interventions. Specifically, the paper x-rayed the prevalent state of diabetes, followed bythe role of religious beliefs and psychological interventions in the management of the chronic disease forimproved health care, social support, protective health behaviours, stress reduction, positive coping skills,psychological adaptation, psychosocial functioning, greater optimism, self-esteem, life satisfaction andtreatment of depression and anxiety in people with type 2 diabetes. Overall, from the reviewed literature,religious beliefs and psychological interventions seem to be common coping mechanisms available to T2Dpatients where formal coping resources are not available.

Стресс и питание

In recent years, there has been a tendency to identify stress with nervous tension, but stress is not only a reaction to unpleasant experiences or conflicts but also a general adaptation syndrome. All factors (of the external and internal environment) that affect homeostasis cause a stress reaction that is implemented in several stages. And anxiety, the purpose of which is to mobilize resources, is an important stage of this process. It is necessary to maintain homeostasis and adapt the body to new conditions. The ability of the body to properly allocate reserves and adapt to stress is called stress resistance. In case of prolonged stress, anxiety becomes pathological leading to adaptive reserve depletion, and, consequently, stress resistance decreases and vulnerability to any stressful factors increases. Could nutrition reduce anxiety and increase stress resistance? What adaptation mechanisms are damaged by regular improper nutrition? In this article, we tried to answer these questions. Regular consumption of certain foods creates favorable conditions for adaptation, reducing the burden of the stress consequences. A healthy lifestyle, including proper nutrition, exercise, rest and the development of positive coping skills, can significantly change the ability to adapt, increase stress resistance and minimize the stress effects. KEYWORDS: food, stress, anxiety, stress resistance, homeostasis, adaptation syndrome. FOR CITATION: Akarachkova E.S., Belyaev A.A., Kadyrova L.R. et al. Stress and nutrition. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2021;5(5):316–321 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2021-5-5-316-321.

The mediation effects of coping style on the relationship between social support and anxiety in Chinese medical staff during COVID-19

BackgroundThe COVID-19 has been a pandemic around the world, which affirmatively brought mental health problems to medical staff. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety in Chinese medical staff and examine the mediation effects of coping styles on the relationship between social support and anxiety.MethodsA cross-sectional study via internet survey was conducted from 15 March to 30 March, 2020. The social demographic data, Self-rated Anxiety Scale, Social Support Rate Scale and Trait Coping Style Scale were collected. Pearson correlation and a structural equation model were performed to examine the relationships of these variables. The bootstrap analysis was conducted to evaluate the mediation effects.ResultsA total of 453 medical staff participated in this study. The mean score of SAS was 46.1 (SD = 10.4). Up to 40.8% of the participants had anxiety symptoms. The participants lived with family members had lower SAS score (45.1 ± 9.8 vs 49.6 ± 11.8). Social support was negatively associated with anxiety, mediated by positive coping and negative coping partially significantly with an effect size of − 0.183.ConclusionsChinese medical staff had a high level of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Coping styles had effects on the association between social support and anxiety. Sufficient social support and training on positive coping skills may reduce anxiety in medical staff.

A well-being champion and the role of self-reflective practice for ICU nurses during COVID-19 and beyond.

A well-being champion and the role of self-reflective practice for ICU nurses during COVID-19 and beyond.

The prevalence of psychological distress and its association with coping strategies among medical interns in Malaysia: A national-level cross-sectional study.

IntroductionThe prevalence of psychological distress is increasing worldwide. Stressful working environments and high expectations in medical practice put doctors at high risk of depression, anxiety, and stress, especially among medical interns. Effective coping strategies may reduce psychological distress in the clinical setting. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of psychological distress and its association with coping strategies among medical interns in Malaysia.MethodA total of 431 medical interns at 26 Malaysian Ministry of Health hospitals participated in this cross‐sectional study in 2017. Self‐administered questionnaires consisting of sociodemographic characteristics, items from DASS and BRIEF COPE were used. Descriptive analysis was done followed by further analysis with chi‐square and Spearman correlation tests.ResultsThe prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression was 29.7%, 39.9%, and 26.2%, with a significantly higher prevalence among female and younger interns. Three‐quarters of them (73.1%) applied problem‐focused strategies as the main coping mechanism. Emotion‐focused coping strategies showed a significant but weak correlation with anxiety and stress whereas avoidance‐based coping strategies were significantly correlated with depression, anxiety, and stress.DiscussionMedical internship is a highly grueling period. Besides emphasizing clinical competency, internship training should also impart the practice of healthy coping mechanisms. The vulnerable groups of females and younger interns should be taught positive coping skills so that they are empowered to handle any stressors on their personal and professional lives. Optimum psychological wellbeing of the medical interns can improve the overall work performance and quality of care for patients.

Fatalism and Depressive Symptoms: Active and Passive Forms of Fatalism Differentially Predict Depression.

Classic fatalism is the belief that regardless of actions, events are predestined to occur (Straughan and Seow 1998). Researchers have found that fatalism is positively correlated with depression symptoms and higher endorsement of an external locus of control. Although fatalism is thought to be a unitary construct, based on the current literature, we hypothesizedfatalism may take on other forms. We defined active fatalism as the belief in a predestined personal and global future, combined with the belief that one must do their part to bring this predestined future into fruition. Therefore, we predicted that active fatalism will be negatively correlated with depression symptoms, external locus of control, and negative coping skills. We recruited a sample of religious participants online (n = 282; 49.3% female) who completed self-report scales measuring depression symptoms, classic fatalism, active fatalism, coping skills, and locus of control. We found thatwhile classic fatalism was significantly and positively associated with depression and negative coping, active fatalism was positively correlated with positive coping skills, and negatively correlated with depression and external locus of control. Finally, the present study found that active fatalism explained variance in both depression and anxiety symptoms above and beyond the classic form of fatalism. This confirmed our hypotheses and suggested that there may be several forms of fatalism, each differentially predicting mental health processes and outcomes. The significant positive correlation of positive coping and negative correlations of depression and external locus of control with active fatalism offer evidence in support of the notion that this form of fatalism may in fact be associated with protective mechanisms against depression. Differential assessment of these varying concepts may be appropriate for assessment and psychotherapy.

Interactions between anxiety subtypes, personality characteristics, and emotional regulation skills as predictors of future work outcomes

IntroductionThis study examined long-term predictive links between different types of anxiety in late adolescence and work-related outcomes in young adulthood. The presence of adaptive personality traits and positive emotion regulation and coping skills were hypothesized to buffer these associations, reducing the negative effects of anxiety on future work outcomes. MethodsHypotheses were tested using multi-reporter data from a community sample of 184 youth in the United States followed from ages 17–30. Trait anxiety, anxious arousal, rejection sensitivity, and implicit rejection were each examined in late adolescence as predictors of work-related ambition, work performance, job satisfaction, and career satisfaction in young adulthood. Conscientiousness, grit, emotion regulation (ER) and coping skills were examined as potential moderators. ResultsAlthough trait anxiety was the only anxiety variable directly predictive of work outcomes in regression analyses, personality variables and ER skills interacted with multiple types of anxiety to predict work outcomes. Interestingly, findings reflected a pattern in which a combination of greater conscientiousness and greater anxiety, and greater ER skills and greater anxiety, predicted more positive work outcomes. ConclusionsThese findings not only suggest that the development of traits such as conscientiousness and ER skills may be helpful for youth with higher levels of anxiety, but also that higher levels of anxiety, when appropriately balanced by other qualities, may be adaptive for promoting positive career development for some youth.

Prevalence of Coping Strategy Training in Nursing School Curricula.

Stress and burnout are plaguing critical care nurses across the globe and leading to high levels of turnover. Resilience-building strategies such as mindfulness, self-care, and well-being can help shield nurses from the negative effects of workplace stress. As the first line of defense, nursing schools could provide students with strategies that build resilience; however, little is known about the availability of such resources in nursing education. To determine the prevalence of resources and curricula targeting resilience training and stress reduction at nursing schools across the United States. Raters analyzed publicly available college/ university websites and course catalogs of a sample of nursing schools in the United States to determine the availability of resilience resources and curricula. None of the schools surveyed regularly screened their students for burnout syndrome, and only 9% of schools had a formal curriculum that included resilience training. Training in practices to build resilience and prevent burnout is essentially absent from accredited nursing schools. This highlights an important opportunity to modify existing curricula to include preventative strategies-such as developing positive coping skills- that could mitigate symptoms of workplace stress in future generations of nurses.

Quality of life, psychological well-being, and resilience in caregivers of people with acquired brain injury (ABI)

ABSTRACTAim: The study aims to examine whether characteristics of patients with Acquired Brain Injury–ABI (time elapsed since injury, level of dependence and behavioral problems) and resilience factors of the caregiver predicted caregiver well-being (quality of life, anxiety,depression and positive aspects of caregiving).Methods: 78 voluntary family caregivers (75.6% female) of patients with ABI completed the Barthel Index, Head Behavior Injury Scale, Questionnaire of Resilience in Caregivers of Acquired Brain Injury, WHOQOL-BREF, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale,and Positive Aspects of Caregiving Scale. Correlation analysis and stepwise regression were carried out.Results: Time elapsed since injury showed a negative relationship with positive aspects of caregiving. On the other hand, care-recipients’ behavioral problems showed significant associations with all caregiver variables: negatively with quality of life and positive aspects of caregiving, and positively with anxiety and depression. Regarding resilience, we found a positive relationship with quality of life and positive aspects of caregiving, and a negative association with anxiety and depression, showing better predictive power with depression.Conclusions: We confirm the relevance of developing multidisciplinary caregiver intervention programmes focused on positive ways to handle care-recipients’ behavioral problems and developing positive coping skills, such as positive reinterpretation, acceptance and seeking social support, that may optimize caregiver resilience.