Problem-focused Strategies Research Articles

Factors influencing the coping strategies of liver cancer patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolization.

This study explored the association between social support, resilience and coping strategies among patients with liver cancer and evaluated the extent to which patients' use of various coping strategies can be explained by social support and resilience. This cross-sectional study comprised 119 patients who experienced transarterial chemoembolization related to liver cancer and who completed the Social Support Scale, the Resilience Scale and the Ways of Coping Checklist-Revised. Results indicated a significant positive correlation between social support and use of problem-focused coping strategies and overall coping strategies. In addition, results showed a significant positive correlation between resilience and use of problem-focused strategies, emotion-focused strategies and overall coping strategies. Social support accounted for 14% of variance in use of problem-focused strategies and 7.6% of the variance in overall coping strategies. Resilience accounted for 30.5% of the variance in use of problem-focused strategies, 8.5% in use of emotion-focused strategies and 21.6% of overall coping strategies. Results of this study highlight the importance of social support and resilience in patients' coping strategies related to liver cancer treatment.

Problem-Focused Coping Strategies Used by Victims of Gender Violence Across the Stages of Change.

This study compares the problem-focused emotion regulation strategies used by 200 female survivors of intimate partner violence (age: M = 40.16, SD = 11.27, 18 - 66 years) to cope with violence throughout various stages of change (SOC). It examines the relationship between problem-focused coping strategies and positive and negative affect, and the impact of these variables on the different SOC. Results suggest that victims differ and are flexible in the use of strategies throughout the various SOC. During the initial stages, victims tend to use passive/maladaptive behaviors that hamper change, while in the later stages they use more active/adaptive strategies to leave the abusive relationship.

Thematic Analysis of Coping Strategies Used by Parents of Children with Cleft Lip and Palate in El Salvador.

The aim of this study was to describe coping strategies used by parents of children with cleft palate with or without a cleft (CP ± L) during the early development of their children in El Salvador. Qualitative interviews were completed with 16 parents of children born with CP ± L who were 6 months to 6 years old. Parents were questioned about their emotions and coping during eight time periods: prenatal, birth, social interaction before the first surgery, the beginning of surgeries, social interaction after the first surgery, early childhood education (ECE), speech-language therapy, and formal education. Thematic analysis (TA) was used to identify coping strategies as conceptualized by Lazarus and Folkman (1984). Four major themes emerged: (a) experienced emotions related to diagnosis, (b) interpretations related to the birth of a child with a cleft, (c) seeking and experiencing cleft treatment, and (d) social interaction of the children. During prenatal and birth stages, parents used emotion-focused strategies. A few hours to a week after birth, they used problem-focused strategies, which led them in search of treatment. Some parents used avoidance strategies during periods of social interaction before surgery, ECE, and formal education. Socioeconomic challenges impacted access to speech-language therapy. Sociocultural factors, such as discrimination, religion, and folk beliefs, appeared to influence some of the coping strategies used by parents. Problem-focused strategies appear to be helpful in seeking surgical treatments. The emotion-focused strategy of avoidance seemed to have adverse effects in minimizing opportunities for social interaction prior to surgery and early education.

Association between APOE gene and stress coping strategies, memory, and family history of AD in a healthy middle‐aged Polish population: Preliminary results

One of the best-known genes associated with late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the apolipoprotein E (APOE). It is thought that the ε4 allele of this gene increases the risk of developing AD. The aim of this study was to investigate the preclinical influence of APOE-ε4 on brain cognitive functions in a healthy population. 200 (F:108, M: 92) healthy middle-aged (50-64 years old; M=55) right-handed adults completed a series of psychometric questionnaires: RAVEN (Raven's Progressive Matrices, classical version), BDI (Beck Depression Inventory), Mini-COPE (Mini-COPE Questionnaire) and CVLT (California Verbal Learning Test). We also collected information about demography, family history of AD and health. APOE alleles were determined by sequencing their chosen variants (APOE SNPs rs429358/rs7412) using a traditional Sanger sequencing protocol. The group was divided according to the results of the genetic test for ε4-non carriers (150) and ε4-carriers (50). Both groups were equivalent in age, gender, and years of completed education. There were no differences in intelligence (RAVEN scores), depressive symptoms (BDI) nor memory test results (CVLT). More ε4-carriers had a family (parents) history of AD (Welch's t-test, t(75.21)=-2.11, p<0.05). In the Mini-COPE questionnaire ε4-carriers group also scored less points on two (out of 3) scales rating problem-focused (adaptation) strategies: Planning (2. scale) (trend: Welch's t-test t(77.45)=1.84, p=0.07) and Using Instrumental Support (8. scale) (Welch's t-test t(77.40)=2.07, p<0.05). Despite overall comparable memory performance, there was also a tendency for ε4-carriers to be statistically better at recalling words from List A (5) (Welch's t-test, t(112.72)=-2.14, p<0.05) in the CVLT test. These preliminary results indicate that even in a healthy middle-aged population APOE genotype could influence cognitive abilities and alter stress-coping strategies. Further research is needed to determine if better memory recall is present also in younger ε4-carriers or whether it is a (transient) benefit of mnemonics techniques developed later in life to cope with a slowly starting memory decline. Supported by Polish National Science Centre (NCN) grant no. 2018/31/N/HS6/03551.

Psychological distress, burnout, and coping strategies among Nigerian primary school teachers: a school-based cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe teaching profession is highly stressed job. A high level of stress is associated with poor health outcomes, such as burnout and psychological distress. Therefore, teachers’ use of coping styles becomes imperative. However, relatively little is known about primary school teachers’ psychological distress, burnout, coping strategies, and associated factors in Nigeria. The study investigated psychological distress, burnout, coping strategies among primary schools, and associated factors in Nigeria.MethodsA total of 264 teachers aged 20–59 years participated in the study between May 2019 to October 2019. Questionnaires on psychological distress, burnout, coping strategies, and demographic profile form were used for data collection. Factors associated with psychological distress, burnout, and coping strategies were identified using t-test, univariate ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, Chi-square test, and hierarchical linear regression analysis.ResultsOf 264 participants enrolled for the study, 253 responded, giving a response rate of 95.8%. The prevalence of psychological distress and burnout was 69.9% (176/253) and 36.0% (91/253), respectively. Sex (β = 0.158), a high level of emotional exhaustion (β = 0.193) and reduced personal accomplishment (β = 0.358), adoption of problem-focused strategies (β = 0.904), and dysfunctional strategies (β = 0.340) were positively associated with psychological distress. Age (β = − 0.338), academic qualification (β = − 0.210), and income level (β = − 0.146) were inversely associated with psychological distress, which together explained 51.5% of the total variance. Psychological distress (β = 0.275 vs. β = 0.404) was significantly associated with emotional exhaustion (EE) and reduced personal accomplishment (PA) and explained 11.4 and 24.2% of the variance in EE and reduced PA, respectively.ConclusionsThe high prevalence of psychological distress and burnout among teachers should receive urgent attention. Teachers’ training curricula should include developing interpersonal skills, stress management abilities, and resilience to equip them for the job. Also, teacher training curricula should integrate mental health promotion interventions.

Habitual use of psychological coping strategies is associated with physiological stress responding during negative memory recollection in humans

Research has identified a variety of strategies people use to cope with stress and that the adaptiveness of various strategies depends on the context in which they are used. However, important questions remain about the role of physiological stress response systems in supporting, influencing, or changing from coping strategies. This study works toward addressing this gap by examining associations between skin conductance level (SCL) and habitual use of coping strategies. It was hypothesized that more use of problem-focused strategies would be associated with SCL trajectories that were more stable and decreased less steeply, with the opposite trend hypothesized for more use of emotion-focused strategies. Participants were 188 college students (78% female) who reported their use of 14 coping strategies. SCL was recorded during recall of a negative family memory from childhood for five minutes. Trajectories of SCL during the recall were estimated with multilevel modeling. Greater self-distraction, planning, active coping, use of emotional support, and coping flexibility were related to trajectories of SCL that decreased less steeply and were more stable. Problem-focused coping and coping flexibility are, therefore, related to reduced SCL reactivity and promoting these skills may benefit mental health.

Dispositional Mindfulness and Stress Coping Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploration of Problem-Focused Mediators

The psychological phenomenon of mindfulness - nonjudgmental attention to and awareness of one's present experience - has been linked to effective coping with a range of situational stressors. The potential mediating role of problem-focused strategies in predicting stress-related outcomes has not been sufficiently addressed.

Lived Experiences of Mothers Raising Children with Autism in Chitwan District, Nepal.

Background Autism is a neurodevelopmental problem that is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. Rearing and caring for children with autism depends upon the perception of mothers and various factors associated with it. There is a gap in the literature regarding the detailed accounts of mother's experiences regarding autism in Nepal. Hence, this study was undertaken to explore lived experiences of mothers raising children with autism. Materials and Methods Qualitative phenomenological study design was used and nine mothers with autistic children were selected using purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using in-depth interview guidelines and analyzed using Colaizzi's steps. Results Findings of the study revealed that mothers raising children with autism encountered numerous problems in their life. They felt physically exhausted due to the continuous supervision of their child. Emotional problems such as denial, upset/sadness, and worry were also common among them. In addition, all mothers faced social problems such as social blame, social isolation, and ignorance from their relatives and society due to the atypical behavior of their child. Furthermore, the economic problem was also acute among mothers due to job loss, costly medical treatment, and therapies. So, to deal with the stressors they faced, mothers adopted various coping strategies such as respite care, problem-focused strategies, religious coping, and positive coping in their everyday life. Conclusion In conclusion, to the authors' knowledge, this is the first study documenting the experiences of Nepalese mothers having autistic children. Hence, health care professionals need to pay more attention to address the problems of mothers while treating their autistic children. The Government of Nepal also needs to formulate a policy for the rehabilitation of autistic children in society.

The Effects of Stressors on Academic Performance of International Students in Jiangsu University: The Moderating Role of Coping Strategies

Abstract: This paper examined the effects of stressors on academic performance of international students in Jiangsu University: the moderating role of coping strategies. The sample comprised randomly selected 228 international students from the university across all levels; bachelor, masters and PhD. We used multiple linear regression model to estimate the findings. Among our empirical results are: (1) stressors have adversative effects on students’ academic performance. (2) Male and female international students differ with regard to the effects of stressors on their academic performance. (3) The effect of stressors on students’ academic performance differ among bachelor, masters and PhD international students. (4) International students employed different strategies of coping throughout their study duration in order to minimize their stress levels and to attain higher levels of academic performance. The study found that, Problem-focused strategies were positively related to international students’ academic performance on the premise of its ability to minimize stress. Based on the empirical findings, we profess appropriate recommendations to stakeholders for action. Keywords: Stressors, International Students Academic Performance, Coping Strategies

Coping and Life Satisfaction in Colombian Older Adults.

Background. Effective coping strategies facilitate older adults’ optimal adaptation and contribute to their well-being. Problem-focused strategies are associated with active styles and enhance well-being. This study analyzes the role of coping strategies in Colombian older adults’ subjective well-being (SWB) using structural equation modelling. Additionally, Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the Life Satisfaction Scale and Coping Strategies Questionnaires are performed. Method. A cross-sectional study is conducted with 455 Colombian older adults, ranging from 65 to 92 years old. Results. The results show that problem-focused coping has a positive effect on SWB, whereas emotion-focused coping has a negative effect on SWB. Conclusions. This article highlights the relationship between effective coping and life satisfaction by showing that problem-focused coping strategies are adaptative and enhance well-being during aging.

Burden of COVID-19 Pandemic Perceived by Polish Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) were expected to be particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the burden of pandemic, perceived by Polish MS patients, with regard to major contributing factors. The survey, conducted in August/September 2020, included: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced (Brief–COPE), questions on demographic data, MS characteristics, and health-related and social aspects of pandemic burden. Relationships were searched between PSS-10 and Mini-COPE results and other analyzed items, using U Mann–Whitney test, Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA rank test and Spearman rank correlation. The survey was answered by 287 MS patients (208 female, 79 male, aged 21–69 years). Since March 2020, 2.4% of respondents had been positive for COVID-19 and 5.2% had undergone a quarantine. Mean PSS-10 score was 19.99, with moderate or high level of stress in 83.3% of respondents. Problem-focused strategies were more frequently used than emotion-focused strategies (1.76 vs. 1.16). Higher PSS-10 score was associated with comorbidities (H = 4.28), increase in major MS symptoms during the pandemic (21.92 vs. 18.06), experience of healthcare limitations (21.12 vs. 17.98), work-related (22.58 vs. 18.69), financial (22.70 vs. 18.83) and family-related problems (22.54 vs. 17.73) due to pandemic restrictions. A coping model was associated with functional disability and limitations to daily activities (H = 7.81). During the first stage of the pandemic, MS patients reported increased level of stress and preferred problem-focused coping. The level of stress and coping showed more relationships with pandemic impact upon social issues than with MS-related variables.

Risk Perception and Coping Strategies among Direct Support Professionals in the Age of COVID-19.

The spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) across the globe and its associated morbidity and mortality has impacted and challenged society in many ways, which resulted in adapting to a new way of life. One underrecognized and unaddressed area is the mental health of essential employees providing services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Direct support professionals (DSPs) serve an important function in the daily supervision and care of clients with IDD. It is not clear, however, how these essential workers perceived their own risk of contracting COVID-19 while working during this pandemic. Our research presents results of a national survey of 478 DSPs that focused on perceptions of risk and ways of coping with COVID-19. Using an online survey, we examined DSPs’ perception of risk and on the emotional and problem-solving strategies they used to cope with the global crisis. We found that DSPs engaged in higher problem-focused strategies rather than emotion-focused strategies in coping with the virus. As such, we show that it is critical for IDD provider organizations to assess DSPs’ needs to provide coping supports during the age of COVID.

Association of Coping Strategies with Death Anxiety through Mediating Role of Disease Perception in Patients with Breast Cancer

Background: Understanding the disease symptoms is among the important psychological and behavioral variables in cancer treatment, which is based on the acquisition of information from different sources and patient's beliefs and can affect the mental health and capability of the individual in compliance with the disease. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship of coping strategies with death anxiety through the mediation of disease perception in patients with breast cancer in Abadan city in 2020.&#x0D; Methods: The study was a descriptive correlation performed by path analysis. The statistical population included all patients with breast cancer in Abadan city and 200 of which were selected as the sample of the study using convenience sampling. The research instruments included the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ). The proposed model was evaluated using path analysis with AMOS software.&#x0D; Results: The results showed that there was a significant association between problem-focused strategy and disease perception (P= 0.002), problem-focused strategy and death anxiety (P= 0.001), emotion-focused strategy and disease perception (P= 0.001), disease perception and death anxiety (P= 0.001). There was no significant association between problem-focused strategy and death anxiety. The results of path analysis indicated that disease perception played a mediating role in the association between the emotion- and problem-focused strategies with death anxiety (P= 0.01).&#x0D; Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the proposed model had a good fit and is an important step in identifying the factors affecting the death anxiety of patients with breast cancer.

Transition from Acute Treatment to Survivorship: Exploring the Psychosocial Adjustments of Chinese Parents of Children with Cancer or Hematological Disorders.

Objectives: Parents of children diagnosed with critical illnesses face multiple challenges during their caregiving experience. However, relevant studies have been limited in the Chinese context. Guided by the stress and coping model, we conducted a qualitative study to identify the stressors, coping strategies, and adjustment experiences of Hong Kong parents of children with cancer or hematological disorders. Methods: We recruited 15 parents of children with cancer or hematological disorders requiring bone marrow transplantation and were currently >2 years post-treatment. They participated in a 30-min semi-structured interview. Thematic analysis was performed using the grounded theory approach. Results: The stressors reported by parents included a high caregiving burden during their children’s diagnosis and treatment stages. The fear of recurrence, the need for information, and concerns about late effects were also common among the parents during their children’s transition/survivorship stage. To cope with these stressors, the parents commonly used problem-focused (e.g., seeking help from professionals and support groups) and emotion-focused (e.g., behavioral distractions, venting, and crying) strategies. Despite these stressors, parents reported positive changes through the caregiving experience, such as improved family relationships, developing health-protective habits, and the reprioritization of different aspects of life. Conclusions: Parents encounter different stressors during the cancer care continuum. Using different coping strategies, parents experience positive changes amidst caregiving. Future studies should explore culturally relevant adaptive coping strategies to enhance parents’ psychosocial adjustment.

Perspectives of older adults with a chronic condition on functioning, social participation and health: a qualitative study

BackgroundProblems with mobility, functioning and social participation make living independently difficult for frail older adults. To continue living independently, therapy adherence is a prerequisite. The causes for non-adherence among older adults are multiple and complex, which is why insight into older adults’ perspectives regarding their functioning is an essential factor to increase therapy adherence.This study investigates the perspectives of older adults on their functioning, social participation and health, and the factors influencing these elements.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study on the older adult’s perceived functioning, social participation and health. Fourteen home-dwelling older adults suffering from chronic health issues were purposively selected.Semi-structured interviews were conducted with open-ended questions.Data were analysed following the Basic Logical Model of Abduction and Creswell’s coding method.ResultsAssistive devices, the older adult’s dwelling and living environment, professional and informal support, and medication are perceived as important determinants for retaining functioning and social participation.Attitude, social influence and personal effectiveness were found to influence whether a person performs or participates in an activity. A person’s attitude is related to the significance the activity has to that person, the activity’s importance, personal wellbeing, the person’s values, and their desire for autonomy. Peers and children have a social influence on the level of activity of the older person. Traditions, in particular religious activities, along with personal effectiveness are motivating factors determining whether a person performs or participates in an activity. Personal effectiveness is linked to the person’s belief in their personal competencies and to the relationship between effort and result.Finally, it appears that the type of coping strategy the older adult adopts, has an influence on their behavior. The participating older adults often used remarkable problem-focused strategies, which had a positive effect on their level of autonomy.ConclusionsOlder adults have identified barriers and facilitators that influence their level of functioning and social participation. These findings help to create a framework for maintaining and increasing therapy adherence, which may be helpful in facilitating occupational therapists and other healthcare professionals to detect determinants of therapy adherence.

Risk and protective factors for psychological distress during COVID-19 in Israel.

The purpose of the present study was to identify the protective and risk factors related to psychological distress during COVID-19 in an Israeli sample. An online survey was administered from April 19 to May 2, 2020, while a strict lockdown was in place. Participants were recruited by snowball sampling. Psychological distress was evaluated using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Risk and protective factors for psychological distress were assessed on the Multi-dimensional Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the coping strategies (COPE), the Life Orientation Test (LOT), and the Gratitude questionnaire. Out of the 655 valid questionnaires collected (from participants ranging in age from 18 to 86, 246 males, 409 females), 138 (21.3%) were positive for moderate to very severe depression and 87 (13.2%) for moderate to extremely severe anxiety. Participants who were screened for depression and anxiety were more likely to be women and young adults (18–24). After adjusting statistically for gender, age, and socioeconomic status, depression and anxiety remained significantly associated with both emotion-focused (PHQ-β =.437, p < .001, GAD-β=.441, p < .001) and problem-focused (PHQ-β =−.219, p < .001, GAD-β=−.143, p < .001) coping strategies, as well as on the social support (PHQ-β =−.167, p < .001, GAD-β=−.155, p < .001), life orientation (GAD-β=−.09, p < .001), and gratitude scales (PHQ-β =−.07, p < .001). Levels of anxiety and depression were generally associated with gender (women), age (younger population), socioeconomic status (low), and an emotion-focused strategy as risk factors. A problem-focused strategy, social support, life orientation, and gratitude served as protective factors above and beyond personal background.

Community Violence in Early Adolescence: Assessing Coping Strategies for Reducing Delinquency and Aggression

ABSTRACT Objective: Exposure to community violence has disabling effects on the mental health of youth in the US, especially for African American adolescents from underserved, urban communities, fostering increased externalizing problems. The current study assessed the utility of problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidant coping strategies for reducing aggression and delinquency amidst this uncontrollable stress. It was hypothesized that greater use of avoidant strategies would most consistently reduce externalizing behaviors over time, with these effects being stronger for boys than girls. Method: Following confirmatory factor analyses, longitudinal moderated moderation analyses were conducted with a sample of 263 Black students from low-income, urban areas (60% female, M = 11.65 years), who completed surveys in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Results: For sixth grade boys who witnessed violence, using more problem-focused strategies increased delinquency in eighth grade, whereas less use of problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidant coping increased eighth grade delinquency for girls with both indirect and direct violence exposure. Girls showed a similar pattern for aggression in seventh and eighth grade. Problem-focused coping was endorsed most frequently overall by boys and girls. Violence exposure was associated with greater use of avoidant strategies in sixth grade. Conclusions: These results suggest that using fewer coping strategies was detrimental for girls, while boys may require more resources to support their coping efforts. This research enhances understanding of how boys and girls adaptively cope with community violence differently, while addressing concerns with conceptualizing categories of coping to inform clinicians in these communities.

Coping with stress during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic by Turkish people with Multiple Sclerosis: The relationship between perceived stress and quality of life

BackgroundMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease and acute exacerbations are also a part of the clinical course. The presence of the disease and relapses cause stress in people with MS (pwMS). For this reason, stress coping strategies of the patients are important in reducing perceived stress. Our aim in this study is to evaluate which strategies pwMS use during the COVID-19 pandemic, the effect of the strategies on perceived stress, their relationship with relapses and their role on quality of life (QoL). MethodsAn online form including Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; 10 items), Coping with Experienced Problems Scale (Brief-COPE; 28 items) and SF-12 were sent to 340 pwMS under our follow-up. ResultsDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that the patients used the strategies of turn to religion, planning and acceptance at a high rate. PSS score was high in 23 (11.2%) of the patients. The patients with low perceived stress used the acceptance strategy more (P=0.008). We found a negative correlation between physical component summary (PCS) of SF-12 and denial (r=-0.2, p<0.001) and distraction (r =-0.1, p=0.04). A negative correlation was found between mental component summary (MCS) of SF-12 and behavioral disconnection (r=-0.2, p=0.006). There was a positive correlation between MCS and humor (r=0.1, p=0.04), use of instrumental support (r=0.2, p=0.009), planning (r=0.1, p=0.04), and positive reframing (r=0.2, p=0.002). ConclusionPwMS have been successful in coping with stress in the first half of the pandemic with the combination of emotional and problem-focused strategies. Acceptance strategy was highly adopted by patients with low PSS, and the tendency to use the active coping strategy together with the acceptance strategy was high in patients without relapses. Adoption to emotional strategies may have prevented the severe deterioration in QoL in this study group in the early period of Covid-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Experience in Multiple Sclerosis: The Good, the Bad and the Neutral.

IntroductionWhile the current COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of many, there is a paucity of information on the impact on people with multiple sclerosis (MS). This study sought to gain insight into the impact of the current situation on people with MS and the factors that influence this.Methods324 MS patients participated in this online cross-sectional survey during the COVID-19 lockdown period. A mixed methods design was used, with quantitative information collected on MS-related factors as well as COVID-19 impact and an open-ended, qualitative response looking for reasons behind the self-reported COVID-19 impact.ResultsWe found that 48% of the participants reported that COVID-19 had a neutral impact on their lives and 16% reported a positive impact. However, 36% reported a negative impact, and had greater levels of MS- and non-MS-related worries, and higher levels of bother related to psychological and cognitive symptoms and fatigue than the groups reporting a neutral or positive impact. Significant predictors of this adversely affected group were age, type of MS and presence of psychological symptoms. Antidepressant medication use, time since diagnosis, gender, location, living arrangements or employment status did not predict impact. Open-ended responses explaining personal COVID-19 impact indicate that coping strategies may contribute to these findings. In particular, active, problem-focused approaches were reported by the majority of people who reported a positive impact, as well as a third of those who reported a neutral impact.ConclusionThese findings suggest that younger people, those with progressive types of MS, and those with psychological symptoms are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of a COVID-19 pandemic induced lockdown. Coping strategies provide further insight into these findings with those reporting active problem-focused approaches seemingly faring better than those who do not state any coping strategies. These results also have implications for understanding other like neurological conditions that share many similarities with MS and how best to direct support.

Teacher coping profiles in relation to teacher well-being: A mixed method approach

The aim was to investigate teachers’ coping profiles and their relations to teacher well-being. Questionnaire data was collected from 107 Finnish teachers. Theory-driven content analysis of teachers’ responses revealed three coping categories: problem-focused, emotion-focused and mixed problem- and emotion-focused. Next, teachers were categorized into four coping profiles by using latent profile analysis: Low-coping users (21%), Problem-focused-coping users (15%), High-coping users (12%) and Emotion-focused-coping users (52%). Low-coping-user teachers reported less stress and fewer depressive symptoms and sleep problems compared to Emotion-focused-coping users. Using a compact amount of coping strategies and problem-focused strategies aside of emotion-focused might be beneficial for teacher well-being.