World Assumptions and Coping Related to Trauma as Predictors of General Mental Health and Acute Stress Symptoms Among Iranian Muslims During the COVID-19 Outbreak

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 outbreak is a new potentially traumatic event that may have some unknown effects on mental health. The aim of this study was to examine how two theoretical frameworks related to coping with trauma, including shattered assumptions and coping with trauma, could explain mental health and acute stress symptoms among the general population during the COVID-19 outbreak. The participants included 212 Iranian Muslims who filled out the online survey. Women and people with non-fixed jobs reported more mental health deterioration and acute stress symptoms. There were no significant differences between people with or without COVID-19 in terms of mental health symptoms, experiencing acute stress symptoms, and world assumptions. Results showed that world assumption and forward-focused coping could predict mental health symptoms and acute stress symptoms beyond COVID-19 specific stress. Assumptions related to the meaningfulness of the world and trauma-focused coping were associated with a higher score in general mental health symptoms and acute stress, but assumptions related to the benevolence of the world, self-worth, and forward-focused coping were associated with lower mental health and acute stress symptoms. This could suggest that world assumptions could buffer or endanger mental health during crises such as the pandemic. In addition, it seems that forward-focus coping is effective for managing new life challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak. In contrast, the more people address the negative and catastrophic effects of COVID-19 (such as trauma-focused coping), the more they are prone to developing mental health symptoms. This study showed that among Iranian Muslims, some world assumptions (for example, the meaningfulness of world) and some kinds of coping (for example, trauma-focused coping) were not as protective factor as in non-Muslim countries.