The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Those Supported in the Community with Long-Term Mental Health Problems: A Qualitative Analysis of Power, Threat, Meaning and Survival

Research suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on those already living with mental health problems, though there is also evidence of resilience. However, to date there has been limited in-depth qualitative investigation. We interviewed 15 people living with long-term mental health problems who, before the pandemic, were being supported by third sector organisations, to explore how they experienced lockdowns and accessing services remotely. Template analysis was informed by the Power Threat Meaning Framework and suggested that participants experienced significant threats to their mental wellbeing and recovery which were exacerbated by current or previous powerlessness and inequality. Although participants described positive coping strategies, several described a return of unhelpful behaviours that had contributed to the original difficulties. The findings illustrate the wider contributions of social and economic context to mental health problems and the importance of ensuring that people do not feel abandoned and are proactively supported.

The Relationship Between Resilience and Posttraumatic Growth Among the Primary Caregivers of Children With Developmental Disabilities: The Mediating Role of Positive Coping Style and Self-Efficacy

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between posttraumatic growth (PTG), resilience, positive coping style, and self-efficacy among the primary caregivers of children with developmental disorders in Chongqing, China. A total of 198 primary caregivers (parents and grandparents) aged from 22 to 66 years old (M = 35.55, SD = 9.16), including 155 females (78.3%) and 43 males (21.7%), were enrolled. The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and General Self-Efficacy Scale were used for data collection. The results found that PTG could be positively predicted by resilience. Positive coping style and self-efficacy mediated the relationship between resilience and PTG. The different levels of PTG were determined by the resident location, monthly income and education of the primary caregivers. The results suggest that it is critical to improve the mental health of the primary caregivers (parents and grandparents) of children with developmental disabilities. Our results also provide a scientific basis for future research.

Religious/spiritual coping in informal caregivers of children with cleft lip and/or dysphagic palate

ABSTRACT Objectives: to identify the use of religious/spiritual coping in informal caregivers of children with cleft lip and/or palate, dysphagic, powered exclusively by probe. Methods: descriptive and cross-sectional study, including 30 informal caregivers. For data collection, a Sociodemographic Questionnaire and the Brief Religious/Spiritual Coping Scale were used. For statistical analysis, ANOVA, Student’s t and Spearman’s correlation tests were used, with a significance level of 5%. Results: the use of religious/spiritual coping was high among participants (mean=3.71), with a predominance of positive (mean=3.30) compared to negative (mean=1.88). It was evident that the greater the reported importance of religiosity/spirituality in the participants’ lives, the greater the positive coping (p=0.001). Conclusions: informal caregivers used positive religious/spiritual coping as a way of coping with care demands related to the child’s health condition. These findings point to the importance of including spirituality/religiosity as health indicators.

Sports competition related anxiety: Is it modifiable among athletes in urban schools in Sri Lanka?

Competition related anxiety is a major psychological issue among athletes and this study estimates the prevalence of competition related anxiety, its associated factors and coping strategies used, among school athletes in Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 330 athletes. Two-stage simple random sampling was used. Competition related anxiety level was determined by Sport Competition Anxiety Test for adults (SCAT-A). Prevalence of ‘high’ level of sport competition related anxiety was 19.4% and it was significantly associated with individual sports, fear of failure, experience of past defeat, and poor support received from parents/friends. Listening to music, goal setting, positive self-talk and meditation were positive coping strategies used by athletes. The main negative coping strategy was being angry. High competition related anxiety prevalent in about 1/5th of school athletes was influenced by several factors related to the sport event. Psychological support incorporated into routine physical training sessions is recommended.

Association between peripheral lncRNA expression and coping style in schizophrenia patients

In order to explore the relationship between peripheral lncRNA expression and coping style in schizophrenia patients, this study screened the peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 5 patients and 5 controls, and 10 differentially expressed lncRNAs were selected and validated in 96 patients and 50 controls by qPCR. Compared to control group, three lncRNAs (NONHSAT089447, NONHSAT021545, NONHSAT041499) were up-regulated in schizophrenia group. Among them, NONHSAT089447, NONHSAT021545 were negatively associated with positive coping style, and other four lncRNAs (ENST00000394742, NONHSAT089447, NONHSAT021545, NONHSAT041499) were positively related to negative coping style. Positive coping style scores in higher-expression of PR4 and PR6 subgroup were significantly lower than those in lower-expression subgroup. While on the other hand, negative coping style scores in higher-expression of NONHSAT089447, NONHSAT021545, NONHSAT041499 subgroup were significantly higher than those in lower-expression subgroup. In conclusion, three lncRNAs (NONHSAT089447, NONHSAT021545, NONHSAT041499) were over-expressed in schizophrenia patients, probably playing a role in the epigenetic process of choosing coping style.

“It’s Very Stressful for Children”: Elementary School-Aged Children’s Psychological Wellbeing during COVID-19 in Canada

Emerging evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures, including lockdowns and school closures, have been negatively affecting school-aged children’s psychological wellbeing. To identify supports required to mitigate the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we gathered in-depth information on school-aged children’s and parents’ lived experiences of COVID-19 and perceptions of its impact on psychological wellbeing in grade 4–6 students in Canada. In this qualitative study, we conducted telephone-based semi-structured interviews with parents (n = 15) and their children (n = 16) from six schools in small and mid-sized northern prairie communities in Canada. Interviews were analyzed through thematic analysis. Three interrelated themes have emerged. First, the start of COVID-19 brought sudden and stressful changes to children’s lives. Second, disruptions to daily life led to feelings of boredom and lack of purpose. Third, limited opportunities for social interaction led to loneliness and an increase in screen time to seek social connection with peers. Results underscore the need for resilience building and the promotion of positive coping strategies to help school-aged children thrive in the event of future health crises or natural disasters.

The Longitudinal Relationship between Internet Addiction and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents: A Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model

Internet addiction and depressive symptoms are extremely common problems among teenagers, and the coping strategy has been proved to be closely related to internet addiction and depressive symptoms. Based on three waves of data from a sample of Chinese middle-school students (N = 1545, Mage = 14.88 years old, SD = 1.81; 55.00% females), this study examines the longitudinal relationship between internet addiction and depressive symptoms among adolescents ultilizing the random-intercept cross-lagged panel model. Results revealed a unidirectional predictive effect of depressive symptoms at T2 on internet addiction at T3, but not vice versa, the effect was more significant in the male group. Positive coping strategies had a significant negative predictive effect on the random intercept of internet addiction and depressive symptoms, while negative coping style had a significant positive predictive effect on the random intercept of internet addiction and depressive symptoms. Effective identification and intervention of depressive symptoms may be beneficial to the intervention and prevention for internet addiction, and we should pay attention to the cultivation of middle school students’ positive coping strategies.

The effect of isolation on job crafting in telecommuting

The aims of this study was to identify what behavior of employees in order to overcome the isolation in the environment in which telecommuting was implemented. Specifically, this study was the networking behavior will appear as a positive coping method for the employees to overcome the isolation, and the mediating process that it will have a positive effect on job crafting through these behaviors is examined. Also want to identify the moderating effect according of affective commitment in this influence series of processes. For this purpose, an online survey was conducted on employees who are currently telecommuting from domestic companies and a total of 313 data were analyzed. The results of this study are as follows. First, professional isolation had a positive related on task networking behavior and social isolation had a positive related on friendship networking behavior. Second, the relationship between networking behavior and job crafting had all positively related. Third, the mediating effect of networking behavior was significant in the relationship between isolation and job crafting. Fourth, the moderating effect of affective commitment was significant only in the relationship between social isolation and friendship networking behavior. Fifth, the moderated mediating effect of affective commitment was significant only in the indirect effect of friendship networking behavior. Based on these findings, we expect to help to understand the emotions and behaviors of employees that may appear at the beginning of introduction of telecommuting in depth.

Adolescents’ Lockdown-Induced Coping Experiences (ALICE) Study: A Qualitative Exploration of Early Adolescents’ Experiences of Lockdown and Reintegration

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceived impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns among early adolescents in the northwest of England, as well as explore the self-care and coping strategies that helped the young people continue to thrive. Fourteen adolescents, 9 boys and 5 girls, were recruited from four secondary schools in North West England. Remote online interviews were conducted. Inductive reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data and four themes were identified: (1) change: ‘life feels weird’; (2) embracing lockdown; (3) feelings of loss; and (4) stress, worry and challenge. Processes identified will be able to help inform policy and practice for supporting adolescents in the future, including the promotion of positive coping strategies and the provision of resources for young people, schools and families.

Assessing Coping Strategies and Outdoor Activities Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Information is lacking on how older adults are coping during the pandemic. We explored coping strategies including outdoor activities among community-dwelling older adults (N = 115) 65 and older (mean age 76.45, 71.3% female). Using conventional content analysis, we analyzed responses to: 1) How are you coping with COVID-19? and 2) How often are you going outside during the pandemic and for what reasons? Most common activities are connecting with family and friends (some in person, others on the phone or virtually), reading, tv, game playing, and learning something new (e.g. webinars, online classes). The majority are going outside every day, with walking being the most common activity. Only a few are restricting their out of home activities to essential tasks (e.g. going to the doctors, pharmacy, getting groceries). Findings suggest that many older adults are engaging in positive coping activities. Assessing coping strategies can give insight into wellbeing.