An International Study on Psychological Coping During COVID-19: Towards a Meaning-Centered Coping Style

Abstract

Background/Objective This study examined the role of different psychological coping mechanisms in mental and physical health during the initial phases of the COVID-19 crisis with an emphasis on meaning-centered coping. Method A total of 11,227 people from 30 countries across all continents participated in the study and completed measures of psychological distress (depression, stress, and anxiety), loneliness, well-being, and physical health, together with measures of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping, and a measure called the Meaning-centered Coping Scale (MCCS) that was developed in the present study. Validation analyses of the MCCS were performed in all countries, and data were assessed by multilevel modeling (MLM). Results The MCCS showed a robust one-factor structure in 30 countries with good test-retest, concurrent and divergent validity results. MLM analyses showed mixed results regarding emotion and problem-focused coping strategies. However, the MCCS was the strongest positive predictor of physical and mental health among all coping strategies, independently of demographic characteristics and country-level variables. Conclusions The findings suggest that the MCCS is a valid measure to assess meaning-centered coping. The results also call for policies promoting effective coping to mitigate collective suffering during the pandemic.

Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Sense of Gains and Losses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Study

“…Having a sense of meaning in life is treated as a protective factor in the currently experienced crisis, cf. [ 8 ]. Galatzer-Levy et al [ 75 ] point out that resilience is the most common condition leading to recovery of balance following trauma.…”

“…The efficacy of coping mechanisms depends not only on the nature of the traumatic situation but also on the individual and cultural factors, see: [ 8 ] for details. By considering PTSD as a factor potentially contributing to negative perception of changes in various areas of life, it was possible to identify the significant, yet different role of intrusion and hyperarousal.…”

“…The majority of the participants were residents of Poland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Brazil. However, in other international studies related to strategies of coping with COVID-19 trauma, the variables related to the specific countries explained a very small percentage of outcomes (less than 7% in each case) [ 8 ]. Hence, the findings appear to be primarily linked to the generally difficult pandemic situation irrespective of the nationality and place of residence [ 51 ].…”

“…Although the pandemic is a natural disaster, like floods and fires, the world has not encountered such widespread suffering, anxiety and uncertainty since the mid-twentieth century [ 6 , 7 ]. Beyond the direct impact of COVID-19 itself on physical health, the situation has also negatively impacted people’s life in all of its aspects [ 8 ]. The negative consequences of the successive waves of the pandemic have affected many areas in our lives and those of many communities.…”

Health co-inquiry in migraine: Online participation and stakeholder experiences before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Self-reports from persons with migraine and their caregivers indicate that migraine contributes to stress and is influenced by it, thereby diminishing quality of life (QOL) [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]. We believe that this is a topic for additional research, because stress linked to the COVID-19 pandemic is also evident [ 24 ], and it is unclear how things like COVID-19 infection, quarantines, lockdowns, and social distancing may have affected migraine and those who experience it.…”