https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2022.609
Coping strategies and mental health: A web-based survey among the Italian population dealing with COVID-19
Submitted: February 3, 2022
Accepted: May 29, 2022
Published: July 1, 2022
Accepted: May 29, 2022
Abstract Views: 2136
PDF: 809
HTML: 176
HTML: 176
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to be a highly stressful event with a major impact on psychological mental health worldwide. The use of different coping strategies may change the perception of psychological well-being during the pandemic. The present study aims to explore psychological mental health in relation to sociodemographic variables and to analyse the coping strategies of the Italian population in dealing with COVID-19. Implications for clinical interventions are reported. A total of 537 individuals (>18) participated in the survey completing measures of sociodemographic data, general psychological well-being, and coping strategies. Results found that females, students, and unmarried people reported the lowest levels of well-being. Specifically, the coping strategy called positive attitude was positively correlated with psychological well-being, whereas avoidance and social support strategies negatively influenced well-being. Understanding beneficial coping strategies is central to optimally manage the long-lasting of the current COVID-19 situation and may be useful for mental health professionals in treating patients suffering psychologically from the pandemic.
Agbaria, Q., & Mokh, A. A. (2021). Coping with stress during the coronavirus outbreak: The contribution of big five personality traits and social support. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1-19. doi:10.1007/s11469-021-00486-2.
Andersen, K. G., Rambaut, A., Lipkin, W. I., Holmes, E. C., & Garry, R. F. (2020). The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2. Nature medicine, 26(4), 450-452. doi:10.1038/s41591-020-0820-9.
Babore, A., Lombardi, L., Viceconti, M. L., Pignataro, S., Marino, V., Crudele, M., Candelori, C., Bramanti, S. M., & Trumello, C. (2020). Psychological effects of the COVID-2019 pandemic: Perceived stress and coping strategies among healthcare professionals. Psychiatry Research, 293, 113366. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113366.
Baloran, E. T. (2020). Knowledge, attitudes, anxiety, and coping strategies of students during COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 25(8), 635-642. doi:10.1080/15325024.2020.1769300.
Bodenmann, G., Meuwly, N., & Kayser, K. (2011). Two conceptualizations of dyadic coping and their potential for predicting relationship quality and individual well-being: a comparison. European Psychology 16, 255-266. doi:10.1027/1016-9040/a000068.
Boldrini, T., Girardi, P., Clerici, M., Conca, A., Creati, C., Di Cicilia, G., .& Lomoriello, A. S. (2021). Consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on admissions to general hospital psychiatric wards in Italy: Reduced psychiatric hospitalizations and increased suicidality. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 110, 110304. doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110304.
Brodeur, A., Clark, A. E., Fleche, S., & Powdthavee, N. (2021). COVID-19, lockdowns and well-being: Evidence from Google Trends. Journal of Public Economics, 193, 104346. doi:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104346.
Brusadelli, E., Ferrari, L., Benetti, M., Bruzzese, S., Tonelli, G. M., & Gullo, S. (2020). Online Supportive Group as social intervention to face COVID lockdown. A qualitative study on psychotherapists, psychology trainees and students, and community people. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process, and Outcome, 23(3), 279-290. doi:10.4081/ripppo.2020.501.
Casagrande, M., Favieri, F., Tambelli, R., & Forte, G. (2020). The enemy who sealed the world: effects quarantine due to the COVID-19 on sleep quality, anxiety, and psychological distress in the Italian population. Sleep medicine, 75, 12-20. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2020.05.011.
Caspi, Y., Gil, S., Ben-Ari, I. Z., Koren, D., Aaron-Peretz, J., & Klein, E. (2005). Memory of the traumatic event is associated with increased risk for PTSD: A retrospective study of patients with traumatic brain injury. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 10(4), 319-335. doi:10.1080/15325020590956756.
Davies, E. B., Morriss, R., & Glazebrook, C. (2014). Computer-delivered and web-based interventions to improve depression, anxiety, and psychological well-being of university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 16(5), e3142. doi:10.2196/jmir.3142.
Donato, S., Parise, M., Pagani, A. F., Lanz, M., Regalia, C., Rosnati, R., & Iafrate, R. (2021). Together against COVID-19 concerns: the role of the dyadic coping process for partners’ psychological well-being during the pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 11 doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.578395.
Dubey, S., Biswas, P., Ghosh, R., Chatterjee, S., Dubey, M. J., Chatterjee, S., Dubey, M. J., Chatterjee, S., Lahiri, D., & Lavie, C. J. (2020). Psychosocial impact of COVID-19. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, 14(5), 779-788. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2020.05.035.
Faustino, B., Vasco, A. B., Delgado, J., Farinha-Fernandes A., & Guerreiro, J. C. (2020). Exploring the impacts of COVID-19 related social distancing on loneliness, psychological needs and symptomatology. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 23(3), 222-230. doi:10.4081/ripppo.2020.492.
Finset, A., Steine, S., Haugli, L., Steen, E., & Laerum, E. (2002). The brief approach/avoidance coping questionnaire: Development and validation. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 7(1), 75-85. doi:10.1080/13548500120101577.
Flesia, L., Monaro, M., Mazza, C., Fietta, V., Colicino, E., Segatto, B., & Roma, P. (2020). Predicting Perceived Stress Related to the Covid-19 Outbreak through Stable Psychological Traits and Machine Learning Models. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(10), 3350. doi:10.3390/jcm9103350.
Fluharty, M., & Fancourt, D. (2021). How have people been coping during the COVID-19 pandemic? Patterns and predictors of coping strategies amongst 26,016 UK adults. BMC Psychology, 9(1), 1-12. doi:10.1186/s40359-021-00603-9.
Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R. S. (1985). If it changes it must be a process: study of emotion and coping during three stages of a college examination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48(1), 150. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.48.1.150.
Giallonardo, V., Sampogna, G., Del Vecchio, V., Luciano, M., Albert, U., Carmassi, C., Carrà, G., Cirulli, F., Dell’Osso, B., Nanni, M. G., Pompili, M., Sani, G., Tortorella, A., Volpe, U., & Fiorillo, A. (2020). The impact of quarantine and physical distancing following COVID-19 on mental health: study protocol of a multicentric Italian population trial. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00533.
Grasselli, G., Zangrillo, A., Zanella, A., Antonelli, M., Cabrini, L., Castelli, A., & Zoia, E. (2020). Baseline characteristics and outcomes of 1591 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 admitted to ICUs of the Lombardy Region, Italy. Jama, 323(16), 1574-1581. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.5394.
Grossi, E., Mosconi, P., Groth N., & Niero, M. A. G. (2002). Il Questionario Psychological General Well-Being. Versione Italiana. Edizioni ‘Mario Negri’, Milano. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2309.
Gullo, S., Misici, I., Teti, A., Liuzzi, M., & Chiara, E. (2020). Going through the lockdown: a longitudinal study on the psychological consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process, and Outcome, 23(3), 211-221. doi:10.4081/ripppo.2020.494.
Gurvich, C., Thomas, N., Thomas, E. H., Hudaib, A. R., Sood, L., Fabiatos, K., & Kulkarni, J. (2021). Coping styles and mental health in response to societal changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 67(5), 540-549. doi:10.1177/0020764020961790.
Hooberman, J., Rosenfeld, B., Rasmussen, A., & Keller, A. (2010). Resilience in trauma‐exposed refugees: The moderating effect of coping style on resilience variables. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(4), 557. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01060.x.
Kim, J. K., & Crimmins, E. M. (2020). Age differences in the relationship between threatening and coping mechanisms and preventive behaviors in the time of COVID-19 in the United States: Protection Motivation Theory. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process, and Outcome, 23(3), 239-246. doi:10.4081/ripppo.2020.485.
Kotera, Y., Ozaki, A., Miyatake, H., Tsunetoshi, C., Nishikawa, Y., & Tanimoto, T. (2021). Mental health of medical workers in Japan during COVID-19: Relationships with loneliness, hope and self-compassion. Current Psychology, 40(12), 6271-6274. doi:10.1007/s12144-021-01514-z.
Kowalczyk, O., Roszkowski, K., Montane, X., Pawliszak, W., Tylkowski, B., & Bajek, A. (2020). Religion and Faith Perception in a Pandemic of COVID-19. Journal of religion and health, 59(6), 2671-2677. doi:10.1007/s10943-020-01088-3.
Lathabhavan, R. (2021). Covid-19 effects on psychological outcomes: how do gender responses differ? Psychological Reports. doi:10.1177/00332941211040428.
MacCann, C., Fogarty, G. J., Zeidner, M., & Roberts, R. D. (2011). Coping mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and academic achievement. Contemporary educational psychology, 36(1), 60-70. doi:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2010.11.002.
Mahase, E. (2020). Covid-19: WHO declares pandemic because of ‘alarming levels’ of spread, severity, and inaction. Bmj, 368(March), m1036. doi:10.1136/bmj.m1036.
Mari, E., Fraschetti, A., Lausi, G., Pizzo, A., Baldi, M., Paoli, E., Giannini, A.M., & Avallone, F. (2020). Forced cohabitation during coronavirus lockdown in italy: a study on coping, stress and emotions among different family patterns. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(12), 3906. doi:10.3390/jcm9123906.
Mazza, C., Ricci, E., Biondi, S., Colasanti, M., Ferracuti, S., Napoli, C., & Roma, P. (2020). A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Italian people during the COVID-19 pandemic: immediate psychological responses and associated factors. International journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(9), 3165. doi:10.3390/ijerph17093165.
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879.
Polizzi, C., Lynn, S. J., & Perry, A. (2020). Stress and coping in the time of covid-19: pathways to resilience and recovery. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 17(2). doi:10.36131/CN20200204.
Prati, G. (2021). Mental health and its psychosocial predictors during national quarantine in Italy against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 34(2), 145-156. doi:10.1080/10615806.2020.1861253.
Qiu, J., Shen, B., Zhao, M., Wang, Z., Xie, B., & Xu, Y. (2020). A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic: implications and policy recommendations. General Psychiatry, 33(2). doi:10.1136/gpsych-2020-100213.
Quintiliani, L., Sisto, A., Vicinanza, F., Curcio, G., & Tambone, V. (2021). Resilience and psychological impact on Italian university students during COVID-19 pandemic. Distance learning and health. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 1-12. doi:10.1080/13548506.2021.1891266.
Rossi, C., Bonanomi, A., & Oasi, O. (2021). Psychological wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: the influence of personality traits in the Italian population. International journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 5862. doi:10.3390/ijerph18115862.
Rossi, R., Socci, V., Talevi, D., Mensi, S., Niolu, C., Pacitti, F., Di Marco, A., Rossi, A., Siracusano, A., & Di Lorenzo, G. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures impact on mental health among the general population in Italy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 790. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00790.
Roth, S., & Cohen, L. J. (1986). Approach, avoidance, and coping with stress. American Psychologist, 41(7), 813. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.41.7.813.
Rusu, P. P., Hilpert, P., Beach, S. R., Turliuc, M. N., & Bodenmann, G. (2015). Dyadic coping mediates the association of sanctification with marital satisfaction and well-being. Journal of Family Psychology 29, 843-849. doi:10.1037/fam0000108.
Ryerson, N. C. (2020). Behavioral and psychological correlates of well-being during COVID-19. Psychological Reports. doi:10.1177/0033294120978160.
Sahu, P. (2020). Closure of universities due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): impact on education and mental health of students and academic staff. Cureus, 12(4). doi:10.7759/cureus.7541.
Schafer, K. M., Lieberman, A., Sever, A. C., & Joiner, T. (2022). Prevalence rates of anxiety, depressive, and eating pathology symptoms between the pre-and peri-COVID-19 eras: a meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 298, 364-372. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.115.
Sica, C., Latzman, R. D., Caudek, C., Cerea, C., Colpizzi, I, Caruso, M., Giulini, P., & Bottesi, G. (2021). Facing distress in coronavirus era: the role of maladaptive personality traits and coping strategies. Personality and Individuals Differences, 177, 110833. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2021.110833.
Sica, C., Magni, C., Ghisi, M., Altoè, G., Sighinolfi, C., Chiri, L.R., Franceschini, S. (2008). Coping orientation to the problems experiences-new Italian version (COPE-NVI). Psicoterapia Cognitiva e Comportamentale, 14(1), 27-53.
Sim, K., Chan, Y. H., Chong, P. N., Chua, H. C., & Soon, S. W. (2010). Psychosocial and coping responses within the community health care setting towards a national outbreak of an infectious disease. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 68(2), 195-202. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2009.04.004.
Taha, S. A., Matheson, K., & Anisman, H. (2013). The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic: The role of threat, coping, and media trust on vaccination intentions in Canada. Journal of Health Communication, 18(3), 278-290. doi:10.1080/10810730.2012.727960.
Tiet, Q. Q., Rosen, C., Cavella, S., Moos, R. H., Finney, J. W., & Yesavage, J. (2006). Coping, symptoms, and functioning outcomes of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress: Official Publication of The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, 19(6), 799-811. doi:10.1002/jts.20185.
Tintori, A., Cerbara, L., Ciancimino, G., Crescimbene, M., La Longa, F., & Versari, A. (2020). Adaptive behavioural coping strategies as reaction to COVID-19 social distancing in Italy. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. doi:10.26355/eurrev_202010_23449.
Wang, Y., Kala, M. P., Jafar, T. H. (2020). Factors associated with psychological distress during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the predominantly general population: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One, 15(12), e0244630. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0244630.
World Health Organization. (2020). Mental health and psychosocial consideration during the COVID-19 outbreak, 18 March 2020. World Health Organization. Available from: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf
World Medical Association. (2013). World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA, 20, 2191-2194. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.281053.
How to Cite
Rossi, C., De Salve, F., Agliati, M., & Oasi , O. (2022). Coping strategies and mental health: A web-based survey among the Italian population dealing with COVID-19. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 25(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2022.609
Copyright (c) 2022 the Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
Similar Articles
- Samantha Reis, Emily L. Matthews, Brin F.S. Grenyer, Characteristics of effective online interventions: implications for adolescents with personality disorder during a global pandemic , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 23 No. 3 (2020)
- Victoria Klimkowski, Sofia McRae, Alexia Blick, Laurence Beaulieu, J. Reese S. Handley, Anara A. Hopley, Caroline A. Hyde, Devika M. Jain, Sylvia Kolodziejczyk, Josiane Laliberté, Alexa Lévesque, Lara M. Masri, Anya M. Monet, Reagan S. Nediu, Rachel Valihrach, Giorgio Tasca, Models of practice and training in psychotherapy: cross-national perspectives from Italy and Canada , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 27 No. 1 (2024)
- Bruno Faustino, António Branco Vasco, João Delgado, António Farinha-Fernandes, José Carlos Guerreiro, Exploring the impacts of COVID-19 related social distancing on loneliness, psychological needs and symptomatology , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 23 No. 3 (2020)
- Gabriella Martino, Anna Viola, Carmelo Mario Vicario, Federica Bellone, Orlando Silvestro, Giovanni Squadrito, Peter Schwarz, Gianluca Lo Coco, Walter Fries, Antonino Catalano, Psychological impairment in inflammatory bowel diseases: the key role of coping and defense mechanisms , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 26 No. 3 (2023)
- Vera Békés, Claire J. Starrs, J. Christopher Perry, Tracy A. Prout, Ciro Conversano, Mariagrazia Di Giuseppe, Defense mechanisms are associated with mental health symptoms across six countries , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 26 No. 3 (2023)
- Federica Bonazza, Lidia Borghi, Eugenia Cao di San Marco, Kyrie Piscopo, Francesca Bai, Antonella d’Arminio Monforte, Elena Vegni, Psychological outcomes after hospitalization for COVID-19: data from a multidisciplinary follow-up screening program for recovered patients , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 23 No. 3 (2020)
- Salvatore Gullo, Ilaria Misici, Arianna Teti, Michele Liuzzi, Enrico Chiara, Going through the lockdown: a longitudinal study on the psychological consequences of the coronavirus pandemic , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 23 No. 3 (2020)
- Ines Moragrega, René Bridler, Christine Mohr, Michela Possenti, Deborah Rochat, Judit Sanchez Parramon, Hans H. Stassen, Monitoring the effects of therapeutic interventions in depression through self-assessments , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 24 No. 3 (2021)
- Vasiliki Yotsidi, Theodora Anastasiou, Konstantinos Doulgeris, Panagiota Theodosiou, Clive Richardson, Trauma focused-cognitive behavioral therapy training effectiveness in promoting professional development of psychotherapists working with unaccompanied minors in Greece: a non-blinded randomized control trial , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 27 No. 2 (2024)
- Alexandro Fortunato, Annalisa Tanzilli, Vittorio Lingiardi, Anna Maria Speranza, Psychodiagnostic Chart-Child (PDC-C): a valid and clinically sensitive diagnostic tool for patient-tailored intervention planning , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 25 No. 1 (2022)
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
