The psychological consequences of long COVID. The effect of uncertainties, coping strategies, social support systems and quality of life on the onset of depression

Objectives: Many people were infected by COVID-19 and for a minority of them, symptoms persisted beyond twenty days. These symptoms are multi-systemic, fluctuating, and impact the quality of life. Long COVID was first defined by patients themselves in the spring of 2020 to describe their recovery problems. Specifically, long COVID is defined as "a constellation of physical and mental symptoms which can persist or emerge afterwards, generating a multi-systemic and disabling syndrome, which varies from patient to patient and fluctuates over time". The persistence of COVID symptoms, the decrease in the quality of life, the uncertainly about the future sometimes accompanied by a low level of social support perceived in the medical and personal entourage may have triggered the occurrence of a depressive disorder in patients with long COVID. The objective of this research was to study the effect of long COVID symptoms, of uncertainty and the impairment of quality of life on the development of depressive symptoms, while identifying the impact of moderating variables such as coping strategies and social support. Material(s) and Method(s): Two hundred and fourteen participants with long COVID (aged 18-68, M = 44, SD = 11), including 93 % females (n = 200) and 7% males (n = 14), participated in this cross-sectional quantitative study between the months of April and June 2022. They described their symptoms and responded to five scales: the Evaluation of Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (EII), the Coping Strategies Checklist (WCC), the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36-item health survey (MOS SF-36), the Perceived Social Support Questionnaire (QSSP), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Result(s): 91% of the participants reported symptoms of fatigue (n = 171), 52% a loss of concentration (n = 111), 51% pain (n = 110), 49 % trouble sleeping (n = 104), and 41% memory problems (n = 88). Compared with the general population, they presented a poorer quality of life, as well as high scores for anxiety, depression, and intolerance of uncertainty. Scores on coping strategies were also higher than the norms for the general population, and scores on satisfaction with social support were generally good. It was also found that the variables of intolerance of uncertainty, quality of life, and depression all correlated with each other. Furthermore, the regression analysis revealed predictors of depression. The areas of quality of life and emotional well-being (beta = -0.41, t(199) = -6.23, P < 0.01) and fatigue/energy (beta = -0.16, t(199) = -2.83, P < 0.01) were negative predictors of depression, as was the problem-focused coping score (beta = -0.14, t(199) = -2.84, P < 0.05). Symptoms of the disorder related to concentration difficulties (beta = 0.27, t(199) = 5.16, P < 0.01) and those impacting projects (beta = 0.18, t(199) = 3.31, P < 0.01) were positive predictors of depression. The second finding of this study is that people treated specifically for their long COVID had significantly lower scores for anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty despite lower scores for certain dimensions of quality of life. The individuals who took part in our study also developed more problem-based coping strategies and reported more availability of and satisfaction with social support. Lastly, in terms of quality of life, the treated population expressed better mental health. Conclusion(s): The study showed that, in addition to the effects of long COVID symptoms, quality of life, and coping strategies on the onset of symptoms of depression, the specific treatment of patients with long COVID seemed to constitute in itself a protective factor against depression and anxiety. It therefore would seem essential that any patient suffering from long COVID should receive multidisciplinary care specific to this pathology.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS

Coping Strategies used by Health Care Workers to Cope with Psychological Distress at NSCB Medical College, Jabalpur, during the COVID-19 Outbreak

Background: COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019), which is spreading domestically and internationally and has had a significant impact on the world, was first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. Following the worldwide emergency of COVID-19, health care workers faced several issues, including an increase in workload. Many of them became infected and died as a result of close contact with COVID-19 patients. The continuing epidemic of COVID-19 is inducing fear, anxiety, and fatigue in them, and there's an urgent need to determine their mental health status. Aim(s): To assess the psychological distress and identify various coping strategies among the health care workers Methods: One hundred seventy health worker were selected. Following the candidates' informed consent, information about their socio-demographics and COVID-19 duties was gathered in a semistructured performa. All selected health care workers were assessed for psychological distress with the help of the General Health Questionnaire-12 and The coping strategies were measured by a brief cope questionnaire. Result(s): The mean score on GHQ-12 scale was 13.69(SD= 6.26) indicating that the professionals' mental health was poor condition. The most frequently used coping strategies were Emotion Focused Coping, followed by Problem Focused Coping. Meanwhile, the least used coping strategies were Avoidant Coping. Conclusion(s): Health-care professionals reported poor mental health during covid-19 outbreak and majority of professionals coped with adaptive coping strategies in this adverse situation.

The Role of Parental Self-Efficacy Regarding Parental Support for Early Adolescents' Coping, Self-Regulated Learning, Learning Self-Efficacy and Positive Emotions

Although adolescence is characterized by increasing individuation, parental support represents an important resource especially in early adolescence. This multi-informant study examined the role of parental self-efficacy in providing emotional and instrumental support when early adolescents partially learned from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a resources model of coping, we examined effects of parental self-efficacy on early adolescents' reports of self-regulated learning (SRL), learning self-efficacy, and positive emotions, mediated via early adolescents' problem-focused and emotion-focused coping. Assumptions were tested among 263 Austrian parent-child dyads. While the mediation assumption was rejected, we identified positive associations between emotional support and SRL, and between problem-focused coping and SRL, learning self-efficacy, and positive emotions. Instrumental support negatively related to SRL, suggesting benefits of emotional over instrumental support. © The Author(s) 2023.

Walking on a thin line! Empirical examination of work–home boundary violations faced by employees during forced work from home

Purpose: This research aims to study employees' pandemic-induced work–home boundary violations using the work–home boundary model. Boundary theory and social theories provide the theoretical underpinnings for this study. The authors study the role of gender, gender role ideology, and fear of COVID-19 in explaining the relationship between work–home boundary violations, work–family conflict (WFC), and subjective well-being (SWB) among working professionals. Design/methodology/approach: Data were gathered using an online survey on married and working individuals (N = 354) and analyzed using the multi-group analysis technique in structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings: Results show that men faced higher WFC due to job insecurity, while women reported higher WFC due to traditional gender role ideology. Surprisingly, men reported lower subjective well-being due to WFC compared to women, when fear of COVID-19 was low. One promising finding is the potential in using problem-focused coping strategy (PCS) as a boundary-work tactic for both men and women to ensure boundary control (BC) to reduce WFC and improve SWB during the new normal. Practical implications: This study contributes to boundary theory, social role theory, and social support resource theory, along with practical implications for employees, organizations, and policymakers. Originality/value: This study dissects the primary role of problem-focused coping as a valid coping mechanism for managing the issues arising from the pandemic-induced unfavorable working conditions. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Anxiety, depression and stress among female medical students during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and their association with family functioning, coping and personality

Background and Aims: This research examined anxiety, depression, and stress levels in female medical students during the second wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the association between these variables and family functioning, coping, and personality factors. Material(s) and Method(s): The cross-sectional online observational study was conducted using Google Forms. Anxiety, depression, and stress were assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), family functioning using Family Adaptability, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve, coping using Brief COPE, and personality using the Big Five Inventory 10-item version. Result(s): Out of 750 students, 500 thoroughly responded to the online survey. Based on the DASS-21 scores, 57.6% of participants had some stress, 63.4% had some anxiety, and 54.8% had some degree of depression. Anxiety, depression, and stress were highly correlated with each other. Stress, anxiety, and depression were weakly linked with problem-focused coping, moderately correlated with emotion-focused coping, and strongly correlated with avoidant coping. Better family functioning was associated with lesser self-reported stress, anxiety, and depression. Neuroticism was associated with higher anxiety, depression, and stress, while agreeableness and conscientiousness were with lower psychological distress. Conclusion(s): High level of psychological suffering was prevalent among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their anxiety, depression, and stress must be adequately managed. Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.

Elementary Teachers' Challenges and Coping Strategies in the Radio-Based Instruction and Modular Distance Learning

This study explored the coping strategies of the teachers in new normal education. The study used a qualitative transcendental phenomenology design to explore the coping strategies of teachers in the implementation of radio-based instruction and modular distance learning during the pandemic. The researchers interviewed ten teacher participants from the Division of Tangub City, Philippines. Following the phenomenological data analysis, categories emerged based from the interview transcripts. The coping strategies of teachers in the new normal are problem-focused and emotion-focused. The problem-focused coping strategies are problem-solving, time management, and social support. For emotion-focused coping, the sub-themes are reframing, having a positive attitude, and praying for guidance. Thus, teachers, regardless of their years of experience, have similar coping strategies to overcome challenges. The study also found the importance of the administrators' role in developing training and webinars for the teachers' psychological health to be efficient and effective in their work.

Walking on a thin line! Empirical examination of work–home boundary violations faced by employees during forced work from home

Purpose This research aims to study employees' pandemic-induced work-home boundary violations using the work-home boundary model. Boundary theory and social theories provide the theoretical underpinnings for this study. The authors study the role of gender, gender role ideology, and fear of COVID-19 in explaining the relationship between work-home boundary violations, work-family conflict (WFC), and subjective well-being (SWB) among working professionals. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered using an online survey on married and working individuals (N = 354) and analyzed using the multi-group analysis technique in structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings Results show that men faced higher WFC due to job insecurity, while women reported higher WFC due to traditional gender role ideology. Surprisingly, men reported lower subjective well-being due to WFC compared to women, when fear of COVID-19 was low. One promising finding is the potential in using problem-focused coping strategy (PCS) as a boundary-work tactic for both men and women to ensure boundary control (BC) to reduce WFC and improve SWB during the new normal. Practical implications This study contributes to boundary theory, social role theory, and social support resource theory, along with practical implications for employees, organizations, and policymakers. Originality/value This study dissects the primary role of problem-focused coping as a valid coping mechanism for managing the issues arising from the pandemic-induced unfavorable working conditions.

Perceived Social Support and Coping Strategies among Bariatric Patients During COVID-19

Alexandra Harvey Philadelphia PA1, Melissa Butt Hershey PA2, Antoinette Hu Hershey PA2, Ann Rogers Hershey PA2, Andrea Rigby Hershey PA2 Penn State College of Medicine1 Penn State Health2 The COVID-19 pandemic increased challenges to bariatric patients’ strict diet and exercise regimen, increasing reliance on social support and effective coping strategies for post-operative success. Social support and adaptive coping can be effective in the prevention and treatment of weight recurrence. Social support is associated with increased weight loss in bariatric patients and has been perceived by patients as necessary for effective post-operative care. The objective of this study is to investigate perceived social support and coping methods among bariatric patients and its association with weight during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adults (n=99) who underwent bariatric surgery prior to March 2020 completed a self-report questionnaire regarding coping strategies and perceived support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents reported a wide range of weight recurrence (0.00 - 31.40 kg) from their lowest recorded weight. Participants also reported a high level of perceived social support, but it was not significantly associated with weight recurrence. Problem-focused coping strategies were significantly associated with weight recurrence (r=0.21, p=0.04), possibly due to an increase in weight prompting patients to engage in problem-focused coping. Weight recurrence was also significantly associated with venting (r=0.21, p=0.04), behavioral disengagement (r=0.20 p=0.048), and planning (r=0.30, p=0.003) coping methods during the pandemic. Our findings suggest that utilization of problem-focused coping methods are associated with weight recurrence regardless of perceived social support. Understanding which coping methods are associated with better post-operative health outcomes (such as increased weight loss) will help clinicians better counsel patients on how to address stressors they may encounter post-operatively.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Perception on Job Stress of Construction Workers.

Construction has been regarded as one of the most stressful industries, and the COVID-19 pandemic has deteriorated this situation. This research developed and tested a model of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic perception on job stress of construction workers. Both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping were considered as mediators. Empirical data were collected using a detailed questionnaire from the Chinese construction industry. The results showed that pandemic perception was significantly related to psychological and physical stress. Emotion-focused coping was mainly triggered by pandemic fear and job insecurity, while problem-focused coping was mainly triggered by organizational pandemic response. Furthermore, the effects of pandemic fear and organizational pandemic response on job stress were mediated by problem-focused coping. Finally, the theoretical and practical significance, research limitations, and future research directions of this study are discussed.

Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment of Coping with Loneliness amid COVID-19 in Germany.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have caused people to feel isolated, left out, and in need of companionship. Effective strategies to cope with such unrelenting feelings of loneliness are needed. In times of COVID-19, we conducted a smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study with 280 lonely participants in Germany over 7 months, where a long and hard second national lockdown was in place. Each participant reported their daily loneliness and coping strategies for loneliness once in the evening for 7 consecutive days. We found that managing emotions and social relationships were associated with decreased feelings of loneliness, while using a problem-focused coping strategy was associated with increased feelings of loneliness amid COVID-19. Interestingly, managing emotions was particularly effective for easing loneliness during the second lockdown. Females tend to use more emotion-focused coping strategies to overcome their loneliness compared to males. Our study highlights the importance of managing emotions against loneliness throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Designing technology that provides emotional support to people may be one of the keys to easing loneliness and promoting well-being.

Perceived stress and wellbeing in Romanian teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic: The intervening effects of job crafting and problem-focused coping.

This study examines the relationship between teacher perceived stress during the online period of schooling in the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, and their wellbeing, with job crafting as a mediator, The study also examines the role of problem-focused coping as a moderator in the stress-job crafting relationship. A sample of 360 teachers, 347 females, and 13 males, aged 21-63 years answered to an online survey from October to December 2020. Regression analyses were employed to the data. The results show that the conditional indirect effects of stress on wellbeing are statistically significant for low problem-focused coping (ß = -.06, SE = 0.02, p < .001), whereas for high problem-focused coping the effects are not statistically significant (ß = .01, SE = 0.01, p > .05). The effects of stress on wellbeing are mediated by job crafting for teachers who score low on problem-focused coping.

Intentions to use ride-sourcing services in Vietnam: What happens after three months without COVID-19 infections?

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new risks and stress for paid transport users worldwide. COVID-19 has changed mobility dynamics worldwide, including low- and middle-income countries (e.g., Vietnam). The present study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of ride-sourcing passengers' behavioural intentions when COVID-19 pandemic management successfully prevented community transmission by extending the TPB with two constructs: perceived virus infection risk and problem-focused coping. Using self-administered questionnaires, data were collected from ride-sourcing customers in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). A total of 540 responses were used for validating the proposed theorethical model. The structural equation model results indicate that problem-focused coping is a multi-faceted construct with two dimensions: problem-solving and self-protection. Also, problem-focused coping has the highest total effect on the intention to use ride-sourcing services following a period of COVID-19 suppression (3 months without identified cases). The findings also reveal that attitude partially mediates the link between problem-focused coping and behavioural intention. The results of this study could be used to develop strategies to promote ride-sourcing services in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Occupational stress at work during the Covid-19 pandemic: hospital nurses’ coping strategies

Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic has been increasing nurses’ exposure to occupational stress and despite the relevance of organizational strategies, coping strategies may also play role in stress reduction. This study aimed to analyze coping strategies of hospital nurses to deal with occupational stress during the Covid-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: Qualitative-exploratory study performed with hospital nurses in Brazil. We carried out individual online interviews following an open-ended questions script. Data were recorded, transcripted, and analyzed using thematic analysis. All ethical concerns were respected. Results: Based on the theoretical framework, we found three categories: 1) Problem-focused coping strategies: proper use of PPE;better workplace organization;dealing with the problem in work and seeking help from experts to do it;not postponing activities that can be done at the moment;establishing effective communication;reflecting on stress events;reducing workloads when possible. 2) Emotion-focused coping strategies: use of prescribed drugs for depression and anxiety;getting support from families and friends;increase of food and alcohol consumption;watching non work-related movies and TV series;reading;practicing physical activities;making handicrafts;singing and listening to music;praying;enjoying quality time with family and pets. 3) Meaning-focused coping: spirituality;playing with coworkers to relieve the tension;focussing on patients care and on the bright side of things. Conclusions: Coping strategies help nurses to stay at work despite precarious workplace conditions and safety.

Attachment anxiety and resilience: The mediating role of coping.

In recent research, attachment has been addressed as a core factor that potentially contributes to resilience. However, there is still much to investigate regarding the mechanisms of this relationship. Emotion-focused coping and problem-focused coping strategies may be promising pathways via which attachment associates with resilience. The present study evaluated the role of attachment insecurity (i.e., attachment anxiety and avoidance) in resilience among a Turkish sample during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that individuals with high levels of attachment anxiety would experience lower resilience via emotion-focused coping strategies. On the other hand, we did not have a specific hypothesis for attachment avoidance due to contrasting research findings of previous studies. Participants reported their attachment orientation, resilience, and coping strategies. Attachment anxiety was directly and, through both coping strategies, indirectly linked to resilience however attachment avoidance was only indirectly related to resilience through problem-focused coping. The findings indicate that low levels of attachment anxiety and the ability to use problem-focused coping strategies may be associated with greater resilience. The fostering of attachment security may thus reduce the use of emotion-focused strategies and may promote resilience among individuals with high levels of attachment anxiety. Moreover, our study is one of the first to investigate attachment orientations in relevance with coping and resilience during the ongoing pandemic This research has implications regarding the potentials of introducing psycho-educational trainings for better coping strategies in crisis like COVID-19 pandemic.

Linking Employee Resilience with Organizational Resilience: The Roles of Coping Mechanism and Managerial Resilience.

BACKGROUND: Environmental uncertainty has become the normal surviving and development environment for organizations. Resilience is the key to manage the crisis and abrupt crush, and the relationship between employee resilience and organizational resilience still needs to be explored in Chinese context. The study is to uncover the black box between employee resilience and organizational resilience. METHODS: Based on the conservation of resource theory, this study introduced managerial resilience, problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping into the relational mechanism between employee resilience and organizational resilience. The study adopted structural equations, bootstrapping methods, and analyzed 329 multi-point employee-manager matching data as the research basis from high-tech industries, service industries, and traditional manufacturing industries. RESULTS: This study demonstrated that employee resilience is positively associated with organizational resilience; The indirect effects of employee resilience on organizational resilience through problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping were statistically significant; moreover, managerial resilience positively moderated the relation between employee resilience and emotion-focused coping, and it also moderated the indirect effect of employee resilience on organizational resilience through emotion-focused coping. CONCLUSION: This study adds value to the literature by revealing employee resilience boots problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping, resulting in more or less organizational resilience in the context of Chinese enterprises. It is suggested that in the daily management of the organization, we should pay more attention to cultivate and develop employee resilience to improve organizational resilience.

Coping with COVID-19: The Strategies Adapted by Pakistani Students to Overcome Implications.

COVID-19 has speedily immersed the globe with 72+ million cases and 1.64 million deaths, in a span of around one year, disturbing and deteriorating almost every sphere of life. This study investigates how students in Pakistan have coped with the COVID-19. Zung's self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) was used for measuring anxiety and the coping strategies were measured on four strategies i.e., seeking social support, humanitarian, acceptance, and mental disengagement. Among 494 respondents, 61% were females and 77.3% of the students were in the age group of 19-25 years. The study findings indicate that approximately 41 percent of students are experiencing some level of anxiety, including 16% with severe to extreme levels. Seeking social support seemed to be the least preferred coping strategy and that female students seek social support, humanitarian, and acceptance coping strategies more than males. Students used both emotion-based and problem-based coping strategies. The variables of gender, age, ethnicity, level and type of study, and living arrangement of the students were associated with usage of coping strategies. Findings showing that students do not prefer to seek social support. The study outcomes will provide basic data for university policies in Pakistan and the other countries with same cultural contexts to design and place better mental health provisions for students.