Coping strategies among Ethiopian migrant returnees who were in quarantine in the time of COVID-19: a center-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, many numbers of Ethiopian migrant workers from the Middle East repatriated to their home country. Returnees who came back to Ethiopia during the early stages of COVID-19 went through difficult experiences of unplanned return and unfamiliar quarantine. Despite burgeoning studies on the coping strategies of the general population on stresses associated with the pandemic, there is lack of research on how returnees cope with challenges related to migration and quarantine experiences. The aim of this study was to examine the coping strategies used by returnees who were in mandatory quarantine in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A center-based cross-sectional study was conducted with 405 migrant returnees who were in mandatory quarantine in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We developed a structured questionnaire to collect data about the socio-demographic, migration related, quarantine related and COVID-19 related characteristics of participants. We used the Brief COPE (Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced) scale to measure returnees coping strategies. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses were used to determine extent of use of coping strategies and identify factors associated with them. Results Emotion-focused coping mainly religious coping was the most frequently used coping strategy in the study group. Dysfunctional coping, however, was the least frequently employed coping strategy. Higher scores on emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies were associated with absence of perceived support from family and relatives after the quarantine and with no history of contact with COVID-19 suspected or infected person. Conclusions The study shows that emotion-focused coping, particularly religious coping, was the most commonly used coping strategy among returnees who were in quarantine centers in the context of COVID-19. Returnees who perceived that they will not have support from family and relatives and those who were not exposed to the virus were more likely to use either emotion- or problem-focused coping strategies. Psychosocial reintegration efforts need to focus on enhancing returnees’ capacity to use adaptive coping strategies. We suggest in-depth qualitative studies for better understanding of returnees’ coping strategies and to facilitate reintegration activities.

‘I Doubt Myself and Am Losing Everything I Have since COVID Came’—A Case Study of Mental Health and Coping Strategies among Undocumented Myanmar Migrant Workers in Thailand

“…Approximately one-third of our participants relieved their stress through reading a bible and worshiping a god, chatting with religious leaders, and participating in group prayers. Dependence on faith and religion in stressful situations is very common among migrant workers from Southeast Asia and Africa, and these findings are in line with other studies [ 42 , 60 , 61 , 62 ]. Such religious or spiritual coping is also a very common discourse in psychosocial theories, which are mostly described either as a ‘Cognitive Schema’ or ‘Transactional Model’.…”

“…To manage their acculturative stress, migrant workers always followed some coping strategies that were usually dependent on their socioeconomic resources, acculturative stressors, migration status in their host country, and cultural background/attachment [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. Though the current pandemic was the added stressor for them, the coping mechanisms were mostly similar.…”

<em>‘I doubt myself and am losing everything I have since COVID came’</em>- The Case Study of Mental Health and Coping Strategies among Undocumented Myanmar Migrant Workers in Thailand

“…About one-third participants relieved their stress through reading Bible, and worshiping to God, chatting to religious leaders and participating in group prayers. Dependence on faith and religion in stress situation is very common among migrant workers from South-East Asia and Africa and the findings are in line with other studies [42,[54][55][56].…”

“…To manage their acculturative stress, migrant workers always follow some coping strategies usually dependent on their socioeconomic resource, acculturative stressors, migration status in host country and cultural background/attachment [42][43][44][45]. Though the current pandemic is the added stressor for them, the coping mechanisms are mostly similar.…”

The lived experience of hotel isolation and quarantine at the Aotearoa New Zealand border for COVID-19: A qualitative descriptive study

“…Although a crucial public health measure, the potential impact of the MIQ experience needs to be better understood by NZ and other countries such as Australia and the UK as they have similar approaches for certain categories of travellers [ 24 , 25 ]. The lack of systematic qualitative enquiry into experiences of people in designated MIQ facilities has been noted elsewhere [ 20 , 23 , 26 , 27 ]. This study addresses that gap and contributes to a greater understanding of the impact and nature of MIQ by describing the experience and perceptions of individuals who have lived it and offers insights into the ways in which MIQ could be improved as a key pandemic strategy.…”