Culture Related Factors May Shape Coping During Pandemics

Abstract

This study aimed to examine how anxiety related to different styles of coping during the COVID-19 pandemic and how these relationships were moderated by the cultural orientations of individualism/collectivism and a person’s sense of meaning in life. A sample of 849 participants from Georgia completed an online survey during the final stage of lockdown. To measure the main variables, we used the State Anxiety Inventory, the Horizontal and Vertical Individualism and Collectivism Scale, the Meaning of Life Questionnaire, the COVID-19 Worry Scale, and the Ways of Coping Scale tailored to COVID-19 pandemic. The latter measured rational coping via the subscales of information accessing/processing and action-planning coping, and affective coping – via the subscales of passive-submissive and avoidant coping. Results suggested that anxiety positively predicted both affective coping styles and negatively predicted the action-planning coping style, while COVID-19 worry predicted all coping styles; presence of meaning in life positively predicted both rational coping styles and negatively predicted the avoidant coping style, while search for meaning positively predicted all coping styles; individualism negatively predicted the passive-submissive style and positively predicted the action-planning style, whereas collectivism predicted all coping styles; furthermore, individualism and collectivism moderated the link between anxiety and the passive-submissive coping style, presence of meaning in life moderated the link between anxiety and avoidant coping style, while search for meaning in life moderated the link between anxiety and the action-planning coping style. Overall, the findings enrich the cultural transactional theory of stress and coping, and generate insights for the culture-sensitive approach to the meaning in life. The results were conceptualized vis-a-vis Georgia’s intermediate position between clear-cut individualism and clear-cut collectivism.

The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-Items Expresses Robust Psychometric Properties as an Ideal Shorter Version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 Among Healthy Respondents From Three Continents

“…Individuals with adequate resources to handle the stressors apply problem-focused coping (primary control). On the other side, individuals use emotion-focused coping (secondary control) when they encounter overwhelming challenges that are beyond their capacity to manage ( Shekriladze et al, 2021 ). During the COVID-19 lockdown, individualism and collectivism moderated the association between anxiety and passive–submissive coping styles ( Shekriladze et al, 2021 ).…”

“…On the other side, individuals use emotion-focused coping (secondary control) when they encounter overwhelming challenges that are beyond their capacity to manage ( Shekriladze et al, 2021 ). During the COVID-19 lockdown, individualism and collectivism moderated the association between anxiety and passive–submissive coping styles ( Shekriladze et al, 2021 ). Having self as a core unit of the society in individualistic orientations entails high priority of individual achievement and autonomy ( Shekriladze et al, 2021 ).…”

Typologies of stress appraisal and problem-focused coping: associations with compliance with public health recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Future studies using longitudinal methods could examine the stability of coping typologies over the course of the pandemic. We also did not include cultural or political measures that also may be relevant to appraisals of the pandemic and/or compliance [ 69 , 70 ]. Factors like willingness to comply with rules, conscientiousness, individualist versus collectivist values, and/or simple political affiliation might plausibly influence a person’s decision to comply or not.…”

The Relationship Between Pre-pandemic Measures of Religiosity and Psychological Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Secondary Analysis of Data From a Multi-Country Study

“…However, countries with a lower prevalence or fatality rate of COVID-19 may have instituted more stringent control measures, which could lead to higher levels of anxiety [ 2 , 49 , 50 ]. An association between certain types of anxiety and adherence to protective measures such as hand hygiene and masking has been reported by some authors, suggesting that mild anxiety during a pandemic may be adaptive [ 27 , 51 ]. However, this explanation cannot be confirmed using the current findings.…”

“…However, they are consistent with an earlier study that suggested that collectivistic cultures were associated with higher levels of alexithymia, which is a predictor of psychological distress [ 18 ]. A study of individuals from 26 countries showed that there was no significant association, either positive or negative, between cultural individualism/collectivism and stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic, while another study from a country with a moderate level of individualism showed that individualistic values were associated with active coping [ 27 , 59 ]. The relationship between culture and psychological responses to the pandemic may likely vary depending on the unit of analysis.…”