The winding road to the Tokyo Olympics: A dynamic approach to the relationships between stress appraisal, coping, performance, and burnout among an artistic swimming team

This study aimed to better understand psychological adaptation processes of elite athletes, and specifically how stress appraisal and coping processes are dynamically interrelated and the extent to which their dynamic relationship is associated with performance and burnout among an artistic swimming team during the qualification phase for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics conducted in summer 2021. Fifteen elite artistic swimmers (Mage = 21 years, SDage = 3 years) completed an online questionnaire once a week measuring perceived stress, stress mindset, individual and collective perception of control, individual and interpersonal coping strategies, performance, and burnout (i.e., 19 time-points, January-May 2021). Results of multilevel analyses showed that (a) mastery coping mediated the association between stress mindset and reduced sense of accomplishment, (b) goal-withdrawal coping mediated the association between stress mindset and negative feelings toward sport, and (c) interpersonal management of emotions mediated the association between collective perception of control and collective performance. This study provides new knowledge about the psychological adaptation processes of elite athletes during the particularly stressful Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualification phase. Furthermore, it highlights the need to longitudinally and frequently assess changes in psychological adaptation processes in relation to burnout and performance fluctuations in order to prevent burnout development and a deterioration in individual or team performance, especially in extended challenging situations experienced by elite athletes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The Interplay of Challenge-Hindrance-Appraisal and Self- Efficacy: Technostress and Remote Working Performance

Measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have caused many employees to work from home;a novel situation in which individuals used information systems (IS) more intensively to stay in touch with co-workers. This novel IS use situation affected individuals differently and resulted in both positive and negative outcomes. Recent calls for research advocate for clarification regarding the conceptualisation of appraisal, which explains different individual responses to objectively equal environments. In particular, challenge-hindrance-research does not differentiate between primary and secondary appraisal. Therefore, it remains unclear how individual capability beliefs, such as self-efficacy, affect challenge and hindrance IS use appraisal. We conduct an empirical study with 1,553 German employees to investigate these relationships and the positive and negative outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that challenge and hindrance IS use appraisal, and remote working self-efficacy are interconnected, yet different constructs. We find that self-efficacy is related to challenge IS use appraisal, rather than hindrance IS use appraisal. Further, challenge IS use appraisal is a driver for performance in a remote working environment. We conclude that there are stressful aspects of IS use that are not influenced by an individual's belief in their abilities. Our study emphasises the importance of remote working self-efficacy and IS use appraisal to mitigate techno-distress and increase performance during remote work.

Cognitive appraisal of health and its influencing factors among pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To investigate the status quo of cognitive appraisal of health and its influencing factors among pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June 2020 to November 2020. Participants were recruited from a tertiary hospital by a convenient sample method. A total of 300 pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus completed the survey, including self-compiled individual information questionnaire, Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale, Pregnancy Stress Rating Scale and General Self-Efficacy Scale. RESULTS: For cognitive appraisal of health, the median score of challenge dimension was 3.75 (3.50, 4.00), benign/irrelevant was 2.75 (2.00, 3.50), harm/loss was 2.38 (2.00, 3.00) and threat was 2.40 (2.00, 2.80), respectively. Regression analyses showed that gestational age, mode of conception, history of abortion, insulin usage, pregnancy stress and self-efficacy were the predictors of cognitive appraisal of health. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus tended to make positive cognitive appraisal of health. And healthcare providers need to make full use of their predictors of cognitive appraisal of health to improve cognitive appraisal to manage stress and ameliorate pregnancy outcomes.

INTOLERANCE OF UNCERTAINTY, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN THE CONTEXT OF COVID-19 IN INDONESIA

This Covid-19 pandemic brings uncertainty and may lead to mental problems. Yet, in this context, no study has examined the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and either anxiety or depression during pandemic among Indonesians. This study investigated the pathway between IU, anxiety and depression serially mediated by cognitive appraisals (perceived severity, controllability, and knowledge) and emotional and behavioural responses to COVID-19. Online psychological measures were administered to 406 participants, including the IUS-12, the DASS-21, cognitive appraisal scales, and emotional and behavioural response scale. An indirect pathway was found between IU and depression, and the effect was serially mediated by perceived of severity and emotional and behavioural responses to COVID-19. Perceived knowledge and perceived controllability of COVID-19 did not significantly contribute to the model. A similar pathway was found for IU predicting anxiety. As conclusion, IU represents a risk factor for heightened emotional and behavioural difficulties that eventually, could lead to either anxiety or depression during COVID-19.

Investigating depression and anxieties of individuals in terms of various variables in the process of coronavirus outbreak

The aim of current study is to find the predictors of depression and anxiety during the Coronavirus outbreak. 563 people participated in the study, 353 (62.7%) of them were women and 210 (37.3%) were men. The average age of the participants is 35.64. Depression, anxiety, healthy life awareness, perceived social support, emotion regulation and some demographic characteristics of participants were measured. According to the results, the predictors of depression are gender, age, presence of a risky group at home, anxiety about infection, opinion about finding a solution to the outbreak, cognitive reappraisal and perceived social support. The predictors of anxiety are age, opinion about finding a solution to the outbreak, cognitive reappraisal and social support. According to the stepwise regression results, depression is predicted the most by perceived social support. Anxiety is predicted most by cognitive reappraisal. Being a woman, being young, low social support perception and cognitive reappraisal pose a risk for depression during coronavirus. For anxiety in the Coronavirus pandemic process, being young, not thinking for the solution to Covid-19, low level cognitive reappraisal strategy and low social support perception are among the risk factors. It is important to increase the availability of online psychological programs for certain vulnerable groups like women or young people. In addition, psycho-educational programs can be created in which the cognitive reappraisal strategy can be explain so that individuals are less affected by disasters such as epidemics and earthquakes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Turkish) Mevcut calismanin amaci, Koronavirus salgini surecinde bireylerin depresyon ve kaygi duzeylerinin yordayicilarini tespit etmektir. Calismaya 563 kisi katilmis olup bu kisilerin 353'u (%62.7) kadin ve 210'u (%37.3) erkektir. Katilimcilarin yas ortalamasi 35.64'tur. Katilimcilarin depresyonu, kaygi duzeyi, saglikli yasam farkindaligi, algilanan sosyal destek, duygu duzenleme ozellikleri ve bazi demografik verileri olculmustur. Arastirmanin sonuclarina gore depresyonun yordayicilari cinsiyet, yas, evde riskli gruptan birinin bulunmasi, virusun bulasma endisesi, salgina cozum bulunacagina dair dusunce, bilissel yeniden degerlendirme ve algilanan sosyal destektir. Kayginin yordayicilari ise yas, salgina cozum bulunacagina dair dusunce, bilissel yeniden degerlendirme ve algilanan sosyal destektir. Asamali regresyon sonuclarina gore ise depresyonu en cok algilanan sosyal destek yordarken kaygiyi ise en cok bilissel yeniden degerlendirme yordamistir. Kadin olmak, genc olmak, dusuk sosyal destek algisi ve bilissel yeniden degerlendirme Koronavirus sirasinda depresyon icin risk olusturmaktadir. Salgin surecindeki kaygi icin ise, genc olmak, salgina cozum bulunacagini dusunmemek, bilissel yeniden degerlendirme stratejisini az kullanmak ve dusuk sosyal destek algisi risk faktorlerindendir. Online destek programlarinin erisilebilirliginin kadinlar, genc insanlar gibi belli hassas gruplara yonelik arttirilmasi onemlidir. Ayrica, bu tur salgin, deprem gibi afet durumlarindan bireylerin olumsuz olarak daha az etkilenmeleri icin bilissel yeniden degerlendirme stratejisinin aktarilabilecegi cesitli psiko-egitim programlari olusturulabilir. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Investigating the role of technostress, cognitive appraisal and coping strategies on students' learning performance in higher education: a multidimensional transactional theory of stress approach

PurposeCOVID-19 has galvanized educational institutions to rapidly adopt technology-enhanced learning (TEL) environment where students are required to use and manage a diverse set of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Using the Transactional Theory of Stress, the authors investigate the impact of a TEL environment on students' stress, cognitive appraisal and coping. The authors also explore how the TEL environment impacts students' learning satisfaction and performance.Design/methodology/approachA survey using Qualtrics was developed to collect the data from 275 undergraduate students. The authors used the Partial Least Squares (PLS) through SmartPLS for instrument validation and testing of the structural model. The reflective-formative model was applied as the measures used to evaluate the first-order constructs are unidimensional, and the second-order construct has a formative measurement.FindingsStudents experienced technology-related stress due to ICT use. The negative appraisal such as harm and threat leads to emotion-focused coping among students, while the constructive appraisal such as positive and challenge leads to problem-focused coping. Emotion-focused coping was found to negatively impact learning satisfaction, while problem-focused coping was found to positively impact satisfaction. The authors also found that students with a higher level of experience with online and hybrid classes, higher confidence in computer usage and lower anxiety are better equipped to deal with technostress.Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides the first comprehensive technostress model in the IS literature that uses formative modeling to explain technostress creators and inhibitors and emotion-focused coping and problem-focused coping, as was intended by the Transactional Theory of Stress. The result allows for rethinking TEL environment by drawing attention to strategies that can reduce technological complexity and uncertainty. For future research, it may be helpful to perform a longitudinal or experimental study to obtain rigorous causal inference. Originality/valueThere is limited research on the impact of technostress in the field of higher education. Also, technostress has been used inconsistently in Information Systems research, with the majority of research focusing on technostress creators and inhibitors only. This research incorporates all the constructs of the original theory adding new knowledge to the IS literature about the nature and causes of stress created by the use of technology.

Tourists' Visual Attention and Stress Intensity in Nature-Based Tourism Destinations: An Eye-Tracking Study During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tourists' visual attention has a central function in constructing their visual experiences and affects their perceptual and cognitive processes. Visual attention might be affected by environmental factors;however, the effects of environmental factors on visual attention are still vague in the literature. Moreover, visual attention might influence tourists' stress intensity. This study explores how tourists' visual attention patterns vary under environmental factors and quantifies the effects of visual attention on stress intensity by a mixed- methodology involving observations, eye-tracking experiments, and post-experiment surveys. Findings suggest that crowding is an important environmental factor affecting tourists' visual attention patterns. Moreover, natural sounds enhance tourists' visual attention to natural landscapes and mitigate tourists' stress simultaneously. Mask-wearing can reduce tourists' visual attention to human crowds but cannot reduce stress intensity directly. Our findings extend the attention restoration theory by a multi-sensory perspective and the transactional theory of stress through eye-tracking analytics.

When a pandemic cancels pride: An exploration of how stakeholders respond to the cancellation of a rural Australian pride event

Pride events challenge hegemonic notions of sexuality and gender within places they are held. This is particularly the case in rural communities that are perceived, rightly or wrongly, as prejudices towards individuals with a diverse sexuality or gender identity. However, although academic literature has extensively explored Pride events within an urban context, limited attention has been paid to the rural context, and still little to those in their infancy. This article examines how stakeholders responded to the cancellation of a Pride event in the Australian rural township of Wagga Wagga due to COVID19. The pandemic, in this context, provided an opportunity to understand attitudes towards the event and its cancellation. Through this process, eight topics were identified as: council funding, cancellation as homophobic, last-minute cancellation, cancellation regretted, cancellation supported, organizers acknowledged, LGBTIQI +, and Pride event. Based on these findings, implications for the cancellation of social contentious events in response to such circumstances are identified. These implications suggest the need for a more considered approach to communicating about the cancellation to prevent allegations of prejudice and demonstrate the value of such events. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The Importance of Cognitive Appraisal and Social Support in Pregnancy During COVID-19 from an Interdisciplinary View

Aim: To describe how a US-based psychiatric Mother-Baby Unit adopted a virtual platform during the pandemic. Objective(s): When the Covid-19 pandemic descended, mental health clinicians worldwide were faced with maintaining access and care delivery. Pregnant and newly postpartum women experienced the pandemic and lockdown through the lens of impending parenthood and new parenthood-amplifying distress, isolation, and lack of social and family support. The lockdown prevented those with most acute illness from accessing daily treatment in our structured, supportive intensive treatment setting. We acknowledged the urgency of developing a method to continue to treat our patients in a group environment that offered psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, dyadic and family intervention, and social support. Method(s): The hospital purchased "Zoom for Health" platform to ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines. Cameras for individual computers were purchased with philanthropy funds, obtaining them quickly, compared to waiting for hospital funding. The clinical team designed a schedule of groups and individual sessions, each with their own zoom link. Each morning, a team member, sent the daily schedule through the patient portal of the EMR. Conclusion(s): Before the pandemic, the census was 12 pts per day. The full-day program paused for 7-10 days although individual sessions and medication management were conducted by phone as the virtual platform was constructed. Once established, census resumed normal levels. Challenges to running the Day Hospital virtually included: technology glitches, family demands and distractions, and privacy concerns. Overall, the program was a success wherein women requiring intensive treatment were able to receive treatment and social support.

Psychological adjustment and glycemic control among adolescents with type 1 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed methods study

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused mental health consequences. Preadolescents and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to stress exposure and social isolation. We focused on the impact of restrictions on youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Objective(s): The aim of this study was to observe glycemic control and psychological adjustment trajectories after 1 year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method(s): We followed a cohort of youth with T1D of Pediatric Diabetes Unit at the University Hospital of Padova. Inclusion criteria were: age between 12 and 20 years, T1D duration >1 year. We used a mixed method approach. We analyzed mean glucose, Coefficient of Variance (CV), Time In Range (TIR), Time Above Range (TAR), Time Below Range (TBR) and Glucose Management Indicator (GMI). Test of Anxiety and Depression for Children and Adolescents (TAD) was used to evaluate psychological symptoms. Glucose metrics and psychological data were collected at different COVID-19 time points: 1 year before, during the first lockdown, and during the second wave. Further, during the diabetes summer camp, 24 participants joined group meetings to explore their COVID-19 lockdown experiences. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Result(s): Our data showed that 1 year post-pandemic, the improvement in glycemic control appears time stable, while depression and anxiety symptoms get worse in preadolescents (p < 0.05). Common identified themes were: changes in interpersonal relationships and health-related behaviors, lifestyle modifications and emotion regulation. Qualitative data suggest that some participants experienced psychosocial distress during lockdowns, while others spent time selfcaring and discovering new aspects of themselves. Conclusion(s): Repeated exposure to stress and potentially traumatic events increases risk of psychological morbidity in people with higher vulnerability, such as adolescents with T1D. Patients' cognitive appraisal influenced wellbeing and psychological adjustment to the pandemic.

Investigating depression and anxieties of individuals in terms of various variables in the process of coronavirus outbreak

(Turkish) Mevcut calismanin amaci, Koronavirus salgini surecinde bireylerin depresyon ve kaygi duzeylerinin yordayicilarini tespit etmektir. Calismaya 563 kisi katilmis olup bu kisilerin 353'u (%62.7) kadin ve 210'u (%37.3) erkektir. Katilimcilarin yas ortalamasi 35.64'tur. Katilimcilarin depresyonu, kaygi duzeyi, saglikli yasam farkindaligi, algilanan sosyal destek, duygu duzenleme ozellikleri ve bazi demografik verileri olculmustur. Arastirmanin sonuclarina gore depresyonun yordayicilari cinsiyet, yas, evde riskli gruptan birinin bulunmasi, virusun bulasma endisesi, salgina cozum bulunacagina dair dusunce, bilissel yeniden degerlendirme ve algilanan sosyal destektir. Kayginin yordayicilari ise yas, salgina cozum bulunacagina dair dusunce, bilissel yeniden degerlendirme ve algilanan sosyal destektir. Asamali regresyon sonuclarina gore ise depresyonu en cok algilanan sosyal destek yordarken kaygiyi ise en cok bilissel yeniden degerlendirme yordamistir. Kadin olmak, genc olmak, dusuk sosyal destek algisi ve bilissel yeniden degerlendirme Koronavirus sirasinda depresyon icin risk olusturmaktadir. Salgin surecindeki kaygi icin ise, genc olmak, salgina cozum bulunacagini dusunmemek, bilissel yeniden degerlendirme stratejisini az kullanmak ve dusuk sosyal destek algisi risk faktorlerindendir. Online destek programlarinin erisilebilirliginin kadinlar, genc insanlar gibi belli hassas gruplara yonelik arttirilmasi onemlidir. Ayrica, bu tur salgin, deprem gibi afet durumlarindan bireylerin olumsuz olarak daha az etkilenmeleri icin bilissel yeniden degerlendirme stratejisinin aktarilabilecegi cesitli psiko-egitim programlari olusturulabilir. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Can information sharing predict fresh produce supply chain performance amid the COVID-19 pandemic? A social learning perspective

Purpose This research aims to provide a predictive model assessment on the effect of information sharing on fresh produce supply chain (FPSC) performance during the COVID-19 pandemic by incorporating information quality as an important part of information sharing, as well as cognitive and affective appraisals as part of a social learning process (mediators) into the model. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted on 197 small fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) retailers in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) particularly PLSpredict supported by SmartPLS 4 software. Findings This research reveals that information sharing is positively and significantly associated with information quality and that the two constructs are not directly associated with FPSC performance. The path analysis suggests that the effect of information sharing on FPSC performance is fully mediated by cognitive and affective appraisals to the information-sharing activity. It also suggests that the effect of information quality on FPSC performance is fully mediated by affective rather than cognitive appraisal. This model shows a high predictive power and highlights the pivotal role of the learning process during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value This research is the first to employ a predictive model assessment in PLS-SEM to empirically predict the effect of information sharing on FPSC performance using a social learning perspective, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learning Outside the Classroom During a Pandemic: Evidence from an Artificial Intelligence-Based Education App

Drawing on the notion of compensatory behavior, this paper studies how students compensate for learning loss during a pandemic and what role artificial intelligence (AI) plays in this regard. We further probe into a difference in compensatory behavior for learning loss in terms of quantity, pattern, and pace (i.e., tripartite aspect of learning behavior) of AI-powered learning app usage depending on the level of pandemic threat and the proximity of a goal to students. Results show that the pandemic threat affects student learning behavior differently. Immediately following the COVID-19 outbreak, students who live in the epicenter of the outbreak (versus those who do not) use the app less at first, but with time, they use it more (quantity), on a more regular basis (pattern), and rebound to a curriculum path (pace) comparable to students who do not live in the outbreak's epicenter. These findings collectively explain behavior that is consistent with compensation for learning loss. The results also partially corroborate the goal-proximity effect, revealing that proximity to a goal (e.g., the degree to which the national university admission exam is approaching) has a moderating role in explaining the tripartite perspective of student learning behavior. Overall, these findings have important theoretical and practical implications for understanding how innovative education technologies can not only facilitate student learning during adversity, but also support learning recovery after adversity.

Individual ambidexterity after entrepreneurial failure in COVID-19 pandemic times: the influence of current employment status

Purpose: This study highlights the business failure experienced in pandemic times, its impact on entrepreneurs' perception of failure and the reciprocal relationship between entrepreneurs' perception of failure and individual ambidexterity. Design/methodology/approach: The study provides empirical evidence on interpreting the long-term outcomes of business failure in pandemic times and develops a deeper insight by utilizing a two-year research design (time 1: 2020 and time 2: first half of 2021). It draws on data from 200 entrepreneurs who experienced business failure in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic times which is a global crisis. Findings: The results revealed that both challenge and hindrance appraisals of failure are associated with individual ambidexterity over time. Self-efficacy and social valuation of re-entry decisions are mediators between hindrance appraisal and individual ambidexterity on both time 1 and time 2. Moreover, there is a positive reciprocal relationship between self-efficacy and ambidexterity throughout the two time periods. In regard to participants' current employment status, hindrance appraisal, self-efficacy and perceptions of ambidexterity linkages were found to be significantly different in terms of unemployment and employment. Originality/value: To the best of the author's knowledge, it is the first time that the individual ambidexterity of failed entrepreneurs was explored after hard times in the pandemic. It comprehensively helps to understand the importance of cognitive appraisal of hard times and identifies the perceptional and behavioral consequences of failure in entrepreneurship. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Cognitive reappraisal vs. acceptance: A comparison of emotion regulation strategies to reduce anxiety

Emotion regulation consists of the skills and cognitive strategies used to alter different aspects of emotion, including the subjective and temporal experience of emotion, outward expression of emotion, the ways in which an emotional experience is interpreted, or the emotion-eliciting stimuli itself. Previous research has identified reappraisal, reframing the perception of an emotion-eliciting event to change the emotional experience, and acceptance, allowing the presence of thoughts following an emotional experience to pass through the mind in a nonjudgmental fashion, as adaptive strategies to use when managing negative emotions. The present study compared the efficacy of reappraisal and acceptance in reducing symptoms of generalized anxiety, state anxiety, negative affect, and positive affect over two sessions held four weeks apart. Participants were randomly assigned to learn either strategy (acceptance or reappraisal conditions) or no strategy at all (control condition). All participants then completed an anxiety-induction, with those in the acceptance and reappraisal conditions prompted to use the emotion regulation strategy they learned to manage any anxiety they experienced. One month later, all participants were asked to complete additional ratings of generalized anxiety symptomatology over the past two weeks, state anxiety, negative affect, and positive affect. Analyses first explored the full sample of participants. Results indicated that there were no significant differences in ratings among all three conditions, both immediately after the anxiety induction and one month later. Ethnicity and race were not significantly associated with reductions in generalized anxiety symptoms or state anxiety between the acceptance, reappraisal, or control. Results indicated a small association between female participants and clinically significant reductions in state anxiety pre- and post-anxiety induction. Participants were then divided into Low Anxiety (LA) and High Anxiety (HA) groups based on their baseline generalized anxiety symptomatology. Low Anxiety (LA) participants in the reappraisal and acceptance conditions had significantly lower levels of state anxiety than participants the control condition across all time points. High Anxiety (HA) participants in the control condition reported a significant decrease in positive affect between the initial session and the one-month follow-up. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic occurred mid-data collection, necessitating changes in study administration. Research in this area should continue to explore the efficacy of emotion regulation strategies in reducing anxiety in diverse populations, assessing for both mood and self-identified goals as indicators that a strategy is successful. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Coughing Customer: The Interplay of the Behavioral Immune System and Emotional Labor of Frontline Workers

Exploring the context of a coughing customer for frontline workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, we utilized the semi-structured interviews of 38 participants to enhance understanding of cognitive, emotional, and vocational challenges present when a frontline worker perceives a health risk (coughing) while working. Using qualitative content analysis to analyze the interviews, we found both contexts of the actual cough and the environment in which the cough occurs to encourage the cognitive process to trigger the behavioral immune system of frontline workers. Furthermore, the findings suggest the behavioral immune system may be similar to the existing biological immune system in its adaptability. Finally, we suggest implications and directions for future research along with propositions. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Cognitive appraisal, Coping, Stress and Fear Contracting Covid-19 in Working People in Pakistan.

The present study aimed to examine the relationship and prediction of cognitive appraisal and coping with Stress and Fear contracting COVID-19 among the working population of Pakistan. Cross-sectional research design was employed. The data was collected from 980 participants of almost 39 different professions using the purposive sampling technique. Stress Appraisal Measure (Peacock et al., in Stress Med 6:227-236, 1990, http://www.drpaulwong.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Stress-Appraisal-Measure-SAM-Peacock-Wong-1990-Paper.pdf). Brief COPE Inventory (Caver, in Int J Behav Med 4:92-100, 1997), and Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., in J Health Soc Behav 24:385-396, 1983) were used to measure cognitive appraisal, coping, and stress, respectively. Fear was measured by using Fear contracting COVID-19 questionnaire (Ali et al., in J Pakistan Soc Int Med 2(2):140-144, 2021). Age, education, and previously attended stress management training were significantly positively correlated with stress and fear. Females were more stressed and fearful than males. Average time spent on social media was significantly positively correlated with stress. Participants, who were employed, had family members of the older age group above 50 years and had family members with the history of biological diseases were more fearful. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that threat, centrality, stressfulness appraisal, and avoidant emotional coping significantly positively predicted stress, whereas control-self appraisal and active emotional coping significantly negatively predicted stress. Moreover, threat, challenge, centrality, stressfulness appraisal, and problem-focused coping significantly positively predicted fear contracting COVID-19, whereas control-self appraisal and active emotional coping significantly negatively predicted fear contracting COVID-19 after controlling for covariates. This study will address the administrative authorities and government institutions to provide first-aid mental health services for emergencies, epidemics, or pandemics in the future.

Prenatal stress from the COVID-19 pandemic predicts maternal postpartum anxiety as moderated by psychological factors: The Australian BITTOC Study.

BACKGROUND: While there have been reports of increased perinatal anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic (Stepowicz et al., 2020), there has been a lack of research on the relative importance of objective hardship and subjective distress. In this study, we explored the extent to which resilience, tolerance of uncertainty, and cognitive appraisal of the pandemic's consequences moderate the effect of prenatal objective hardship and subjective distress due to the pandemic on 2-month postpartum anxiety. METHODS: Data were collected as part of the Birth in the Time of COVID (BITTOC) study. We measured objective hardship and subjective distress, mental health, and potential psychological moderators in 419 pregnant women residing in Australia, and at two months postpartum. Hierarchical multiple regressions were used. RESULTS: Objective hardship and subjective distress independently predicted postpartum anxiety. All three psychological factors moderated the effect of objective hardship on anxiety. For women with low/neutral resilience, or low/moderate tolerance of uncertainty, or a negative cognitive appraisal, greater objective hardship predicted higher postpartum anxiety. Conversely, for women with high resilience, or high tolerance of uncertainty, or neutral/positive cognitive appraisal, there was no association. Only a neutral/positive cognitive appraisal significantly buffered the effect of subjective distress on anxiety. LIMITATIONS: Participants self-selected themselves into the study. The generalizability of our results could be restricted to women of higher socio-economic status. CONCLUSIONS: These findings help us better understand options for intervention and assessment of vulnerable women during times of stress, along with the mechanisms by which COVID-related stress during pregnancy contributes to postpartum anxiety.

Measurement and processing of stress for physicians in hospitals providing basic and specialized care in Germany over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic

Background Several studies report on the stress experiences by hospital employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also before the pandemic many medical hospital employees felt emotionally exhausted due to a high workload or unclear guidelines. Methods Cognitive appraisal and stress experiences of physicians from six hospitals during COVID-19 pandemic were assessed. Additionally, to the German-language version of the Stress Appraisal Measure (SAM), COVID-19 patient occupancy and relative bed occupancy were queried. Correlations in cross-sectional and longitudinal design were calculated. Results Participants t1: 170, t2: 55, t3: 47 physicians. Although there was no experience of such a pandemic, SAM averages were not noticeably different over time. Higher local new infections were not accompanied by an increased rating of the situation as threatening or stressful. High positive correlations of the same SAM sub-scales in the longitudinal design could be an indication of a time stable personality trait, which influences cognitive appraisal. Conclusion The results provide initial indications that medical staff had a good coping strategy with the stressful experiences caused by the pandemic. A more differentiated analysis of the stress experiences by medical staff in general, and not only at particular times of the pandemic, could be carried out in the future. © 2022 Georg Thieme Verlag. All rights reserved.

Remote learning during COVID-19: cognitive appraisals and perceptions of english medium of instruction (EMI) students.

Many countries responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by transforming all face-to-face (F2F) courses to emergency remote teaching with a sudden decision. This rapid shift was unexpected and staggering for the university students. The purpose of the present study is to explore how students studying in English Medium Instructed (EMI) programs cognitively appraised the transformation from F2F to online learning, and to examine if there is any relation between perceived self-efficacy in academic second language (L2) use, quality of interaction, and course satisfaction. Using an online survey, data was collected from a total of 306 graduate and undergraduate students studying in different universities in Turkey. The study found that the majority of the students appraised the transformation as a threat. The students' cognitive appraisals and perceived level of interactional quality, and satisfaction negatively correlated. There was a strong positive correlation between the perceived level of interactional quality and satisfaction. Observed gender, major and year level differences are also reported. The findings have significant implications for decision makers and instructors. Universities are likely to continue remote teaching for a while, thus institutions need to capture how students are affected by the remote learning experience to envisage short and long-term scenarios, and to optimize the quality of their services accordingly.