The protective role of life satisfaction, coping strategies and defense mechanisms on perceived stress due to COVID-19 emergency: A chained mediation model

Abstract

The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic represents a worldwide emergency, which may have harmful consequences on people’s mental health. Parallel to research focused on risk factors, it could be useful to investigate the factors that help to cope with such crises at an emotional level. Therefore, this study aimed to strengthen the role of variables that protect from subjective distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, explore the pathways between satisfaction with life and perceived stress, and consider the role of coping strategies and defense mechanisms in this relationship. A sample of 1102 Italian participants who were experiencing the COVID-19 lockdown measures (Mage = 34.91, SD = 11.91) completed an online survey in which the Ten Item Perceived Stress Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory and Forty-Item Defense Style Questionnaire were included. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s r correlations and moderation analysis. A chained-mediation model showed that the relationship between life satisfaction and perceived stress is partially mediated by approach coping, positive attitude and mature defenses. This study contributes toward gaining a better understanding of a protective pathway for mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings could be useful from both a preventive and an intervention perspective.

Which personality traits can mitigate the impact of the pandemic? Assessment of the relationship between personality traits and traumatic events in the COVID-19 pandemic as mediated by defense mechanisms

“…In other words, psychological health is not only linked to the application of mature defense strategies, but above all to the appropriate use of a variety of defenses based on the circumstances [42]. To confirm this, previous research has shown an inverse association between adaptive levels of defensive functioning and perceived distress, depressive, and post-traumatic symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic [43,44].…”

Sharing positive changes made during COVID-19 national lockdown: a multi-method co-production study

“…These groups have also been identified as experiencing poorer mental health during the pandemic, suggesting that coping strategies can influence how effectively we manage the stress of the pandemic. In contrast, Gori et al (2020) found that the use of approach coping (including planning and active coping) was associated with lower levels of COVID-19 stress.…”

Mediating Effect of Personal Meaning in the Prediction of Life Satisfaction and Mental Health Problems Based on Coronavirus Suffering

“…In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, burgeoning studies support that personal meaning serves as a protective factor against psychological distress amid the viral pandemic (Arslan and Yildirim, 2020 ; Gori et al, 2020 ; Yildirim et al, 2020 ). A renewed sense of personal meaning is suggested to help individuals cope with the traumas and grief over the loss of normalcy during these challenging times (de Jong et al, 2020 ; Lin, 2020 ; Schnell and Krampe, 2020 ).…”

“…A renewed sense of personal meaning is suggested to help individuals cope with the traumas and grief over the loss of normalcy during these challenging times (de Jong et al, 2020 ; Lin, 2020 ; Schnell and Krampe, 2020 ). Furthermore, personal meaning has demonstrated to promote life satisfaction, healthy behaviors, and adaptive coping during COVID-19 (Gori et al, 2020 ; Lin, 2020 ; Minkkinen et al, 2020 ). In particular, a person's high meaning in life, life satisfaction, and hope can buffer the psychological stress and fear evoked by the virus pandemic and propel individuals toward altruism in a time that the world needs most (Trzebiński et al, 2020 ).…”