Stress and coping during COVID-19 pandemic: Result of an online survey.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Kar N
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7688436 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Stress and coping during COVID-19 pandemic: Result of an online survey.
Kar Nilamadhab N Kar Brajaballav B Kar Shreyan S
Psychiatry research 20201126
We intended to assess stress, anxiety, depression and coping strategies during COVID-19 pandemic. Through an online survey, we used primary care posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) screen for DSM 5 (PC-PTSD-5), Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)-7 and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9, along with coping methods. Of the respondents (n=733), a considerable proportion had moderate to severe anxiety (21.2%) and depression (15%). Stress symptoms, above the cut-off point of 3 in PC-PTSD-5 suggesti ...[more]
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Project description:Objectives: The present study, one of the first to look at COVID-19 and coping in Iran, aimed at mapping, describing and understanding the coping methods academics employ as protective resources to deal with the psychological challenges and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. We specifically aimed at identifying the meaning-making coping methods used and understanding the influence of culture. The guiding research question has been: Are there differences in meaning-making coping methods by gender, age group, work/student status, and place of residence? Design: The study, which used convenience sampling, was a quantitative inquiry. It employed a modified version of the RCOPE scale among faculty/staff members and students in Iran (n = 196, 75% women). Results: The most frequently used coping method among all subgroups of the study sample was thinking that life is part of a greater whole, followed by praying to Allah/God. The least used coping methods were the negative religious ones. Gender differences were found for being alone and contemplating, stronger for men. Thinking that life is part of a greater whole was found mainly among on-campus students. Praying to Allah/God was most common among the youngest staff and students, as well as among women. Two segments of respondents were discovered-the Theists and Non-theists-where the former used more religious coping methods, were more likely to be women, older staff and students, on-campus students, married, have children, and lived in capital. Conclusions: Our conclusion is that the RCOPE methods, which include religious and spiritual meaning-making methods, are of great importance to the studied Iranian informants. However, they use some secular existential meaning-making coping strategies too. This is explained by the role of religion in the larger orientation system and frame of reference in parallel with a secular worldview. Further, a sharp distinction between religious and secular worldviews was not found, which is explained by the fact that secular norms are hardly internalized in ways of thinking in Iran.
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Project description:BackgroundCOVID-19 has posed a global threat due to substantial morbidity and mortality, and health education strategies need to be adjusted accordingly to prevent a possible epidemic rebound.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of COVID-19 among individuals coming to, returning to, or living in Jiangsu Province, China, and determine the impact of the pandemic on the perceptions of the public.MethodsIn this study, an online questionnaire was distributed to participants between February 15 and April 21, 2020. The questionnaire comprised items on personal information (eg, sex, age, educational level, and occupation); protection knowledge, skills, and behaviors related to COVID-19; access to COVID-19-related information; and current information needs. Factors influencing the knowledge score, skill score, behavior score, and total score for COVID-19 were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. The time-varying reproduction number (Rt) and its 95% credible interval were calculated and compared with the daily participation number and protection scores.ResultsIn total, 52,066 participants were included in the study; their average knowledge score, skill score, behavior score, and total score were 25.58 (SD 4.22), 24.05 (SD 4.02), 31.51 (SD 2.84), and 90.02 (SD 8.87), respectively, and 65.91% (34,315/52,066) had a total protection score above 90 points. For the knowledge and skill sections, correct rates of answers to questions on medical observation days, infectiousness of asymptomatic individuals, cough or sneeze treatment, and precautions were higher than 95%, while those of questions on initial symptoms (32,286/52,066, 62.01%), transmission routes (37,134/52,066, 71.32%), selection of disinfection products (37,390/52,066, 71.81%), and measures of home quarantine (40,037/52,066, 76.90%) were relatively low. For the actual behavior section, 97.93% (50,989/52,066) of participants could wear masks properly when going out. However, 19.76% (10,290/52,066) could not disinfect their homes each week, and 18.42% (9589/52,066) could not distinguish differences in initial symptoms between the common cold and COVID-19. The regression analyses showed that the knowledge score, skill score, behavior score, and total score were influenced by sex, age, educational level, occupation, and place of residence at different degrees (P<.001). The government, television shows, and news outlets were the main sources of protection knowledge, and the information released by the government and authoritative medical experts was considered the most reliable. The current information needs included the latest epidemic developments, disease treatment progress, and daily protection knowledge. The Rt in the Jiangsu Province and mainland China dropped below 1, while the global Rt remained at around 1. The maximal information coefficients ranged from 0.76 to 1.00, which indicated that the public's perceptions were significantly associated with the epidemic.ConclusionsA high proportion of the participants had sufficient COVID-19 protection knowledge and skills and were able to avoid risky behaviors. Thus, it is necessary to apply different health education measures tailored to work and study resumption for specific populations to improve their self-protection and, ultimately, to prevent a possible rebound of COVID-19.
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