Overcoming times of crisis: unveiling coping strategies and mental health in a transnational general population sample during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Autor: Schurr T; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Division of Psychiatry I, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria. timo.schurr@i-med.ac.at., Frajo-Apor B; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Division of Psychiatry I, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria., Pardeller S; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Division of Psychiatry I, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria., Plattner B; Department of Psychiatry, Sanitary Agency of South Tyrol, General Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy., Tutzer F; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Division of Psychiatry I, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria., Schmit A; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Division of Psychiatry I, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria., Conca A; Department of Psychiatry, Sanitary Agency of South Tyrol, General Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy., Fronthaler M; Sanitary Agency of South Tyrol, Therapy Center Bad Bachgart, Rodengo, Italy., Haring C; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy B, State Hospital Hall in Tyrol, Hall in Tyrol, Austria., Holzner B; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Division of Psychiatry I, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria., Huber M; Department of Psychiatry, Sanitary Agency of South Tyrol, General Hospital of Brunico, Brunico, Italy., Marksteiner J; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy A, State Hospital Hall in Tyrol, Hall in Tyrol, Austria., Miller C; Department of Psychiatry, County Hospital Kufstein, Kufstein, Austria., Perwanger V; Department of Psychiatry, Sanitary Agency of South Tyrol, General Hospital of Merano, Merano, Italy., Pycha R; Department of Psychiatry, Sanitary Agency of South Tyrol, General Hospital of Bressanone, Bressanone, Italy., Schmidt M; Department of Psychiatry, County Hospital Lienz, Lienz, Austria., Sperner-Unterweger B; Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Division of Psychiatry II, Medical University Innsbruck, PsychotherapyInnsbruck, Austria., Hofer A; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Division of Psychiatry I, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: BMC psychology [BMC Psychol] 2024 Sep 19; Vol. 12 (1), pp. 493. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Sep 19.
DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-02001-3
Abstrakt: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unparalleled impact, precipitating not only direct threats to physical health but also widespread economic and psychological challenges. This study aims to explore the dynamics of coping behaviour and psychological distress (PD) across different phases of the pandemic within an adult general population sample, spanning Austria and Italy.
Methods: An online questionnaire-based panel study was conducted between 2020 and 2023 including three measurements. We collected data on sociodemographic variables, coping responses (Brief COPE), and PD (Brief-Symptom-Checklist). Statistical analyses were conducted within a linear-mixed-model framework. Multiple imputation and sensitivity analysis were applied to validate the results obtained by complete case analysis.
Results: The study follows 824 participants and reveals a marginal decrease in overall PD from the first to the second follow-up, particularly in clinically relevant phobic anxiety (35.6% and 34.5% to 25.4%). Most coping behaviours exhibited stable mean-levels with intra-individual variability across the study period. Maladaptive coping strategies were consistently linked to increased PD, whereas adaptive strategies were associated with decreased PD.
Conclusion: Our findings underscore the complex nature of coping behaviours and PD during and after the pandemic, suggesting that while mean-levels of PD and coping responses remained relatively stable, most coping strategies were subject to intra-individual change. Maladaptive strategies were associated with increased PD, pinpointing to the need for interventions that establish the foundation for adaptive coping mechanisms and promote their application. Further research should explore the reciprocal influences of mental health on coping behaviour, incorporating interventional designs to unravel the nuances of these relationships.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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