Objective: Current evidence has shown academic stress to be associated with student maladaptive behavior. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a problem-focused coping stress management program on first-year medical students’ self-efficacy, psychological distress and find its effect on salivary cortisol. Method: Forty students who scored high on academic stress and external locus of control were randomly selected as the intervention (n = 26) and control group (n = 14). An intervention in the form of a problem-focused coping stress management program was organized. The intervention was a 1½-hour training class conducted once a week for four weeks. Results: There was a significant difference in self-efficacy between the intervention and control groups (p-value = 0.029). The self-efficacy score was significantly higher after the intervention (19.31 ± 2.396 vs 21.27 ± 2.677, p = 0.005). Likewise, a significant difference in the psychological distress between the two groups was found after the intervention (control group = 40.14 ± 3.860; intervention group = 37.12 ± 4.537, p < 0.05). We also found a significant decrease in salivary cortisol after the intervention among this group (0.68262 μg/dl ± 0.367 to 0.43304 μg/dl ± 0.231, p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in cortisol between intervention and control group after the intervention (0.49479 μg/dl ± 0.264 and 0.43304 μg/dl ± 0.231, p = 0.448). Conclusion The problem-focused coping stress management program improved self-efficacy and decreased the psychological distress and salivary cortisol of first-year medical students in this research
Hydrocortisone ; Psychological Distress ; Adaptation, Psychological

There is a strong correlation between stress and the quality of care provided by informal carers. In this regard, an accurate understanding about factors contributing to stress among informal carers is crucial in order to find appropriate interventions to solve their problems. A pilot study was conducted in October 2009 in the Klang Valley area, to test the instrument liability in the local context. In-depth interviews were conducted with two informal caregivers who are providing full-time care for their chronically-ill family members. Informal caregivers face multiple types of stress. A variety of factors such as financial problems, an unsupportive community, fatigue, the unavailability of social services to assist them and their inability to accept the fact that their loved ones are terminally ill, contribute to their stress. Differences in factors contribute to stress, and lead to the adoption of different styles of coping strategies: emotion and problem focused coping.
Patient Care ; Adaptation, Psychological

INTRODUCTION: COVID 19 has become the most important public health issue today. It has the potential to significantly affect the mental health of frontline healthcare workers (HCW) putting them at a higher risk of developing psychological problems especially to those who acquired COVID19 infection. OBJECTIVES: To determine the level of depression, stress, anxiety and coping strategies among Filipino HCWs with confirmed COVID-19 infection and its association with demographic and clinical profiles. STUDY DESIGN: Single center Descriptive study materials and methods consisted of 114 Filipino HCW with COVID 19 infection. Data were collected utilizing the Filipino translation of DASS 21 and Filipino Coping Strategy scale. RESULTS: There was a significant increase of HCWs with moderate depression, anxiety, and stress. A large proportion of the HCWs were also severely depressed, severely anxious and severely stress. Majority of the COVID19 positive HCWs were nurses accounting to 35%. More likely, the occupation was significantly associated with their degree of depression and stress. Hypertension associated significantly with elevated stress while having diabetes was instrumental for the depression, anxiety and stress. Moreover, appreciation was more felt at the workplace, then at home. While discrimination was prevalent in the community, workplace and social media. Religiosity ranked the most sought coping strategy. CONCLUSION: The study has found that a large percentage of HCWs had moderate level and a notable portion of respondents had severe to extremely severe level in each of the psychological domains in which factors such as gender, occupation, comorbidities, area of assignment and disease severity have brought significant impact. Discrimination is prevalent in the community and surprisingly in the workplace. In contrast, appreciation was felt more at home and in the workplace. Religiosity was shown to be the top coping strategy among HCWs who tested positive.
COVID-19 ; Adaptation, Psychological

Background: In the Philippines, the prevalence of food insecurity increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting the nutritional status of communities nationwide. Urban areas in particular are vulnerable to the harmful effects of food insecurity, and the effects are extended and magnified when it comes to children. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the coping strategies of households with children aged 0-10 years old in an urban poor community in Quezon City. In particular, the study will determine Coping Strategies Index (CSI) scores and the frequency of specific coping strategies used. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the coping strategies of 405 households with children in the community during the pandemic. Mothers or caregivers were given a survey inquiring about the sociodemographic data and CSI. Results: Sociodemographic profiling showed that the households generally belonged to class D and E (PhP 15,000 and below) income households (73.8%). The majority of the household heads (52.6%) have their highest educational attainment at the high school level. The majority (77.5%) of the households were categorized as having low CSI classification (90%CI: 73.9, 80.8). This could indicate that relief operations conducted in the community may have helped ease their food insecurity. Coping strategies that were most frequently employed by the households were depending on less preferred or more affordable food (74.8%), rationing money for prepared food (69.1%), and purchasing food on credit (58.5%). Conclusion Low CSI classification was noted, which may be due to increased adaptation to persistent food insecurity and the utilization of coping strategies not indicated in the questionnaire. Common coping strategies used by households include reliance on less favored or less costly food items, rationing resources for prepared food, and food on credit. It is recommended that the results collected be used to target food availability and accessibility interventions in the community.
Food Insecurity ; Adaptation, Psychological

Adaptation, Psychological ; Stress, Psychological ; Students, Medical

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify factors (pain stress, perceived stress, pain disability, fatigue, depression) strategies used by elders to cope with pain based on their type of pain belief. METHOD: Data were collected from 314 elders in community settings in Seoul from September to December of 2007. Cluster analysis, t-test, and ANOVA were used to analyze data. Result: The types of pain belief were classified as the following groups: Self-blame, Enduring & Mysterious, and Short-term & Understandable. Perceived stress (t=2.36, p=.02), social support (t=2.24, p=.03), extent of pain relief (t=2.39, p=.02), and duration of pain relief (t=2.09, p=.04) were important factors for active and passive coping in the Self-blame group. Pain stress (t=2.39, p=.01) and depression (t=-3.99, p=.00) were significantly related to the active coping in the Enduring & Mysterious group. Perceived stress (t=2.55, p=.01) was an important factor in the passive coping in the Short-term & Understandable group. CONCLUSION: Considering different types of pain belief in elders and factors that are significantly related to different coping strategies, future nursing interventions should be population specific to encourage active coping strategies and to decrease passive coping strategies.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Depression ; Fatigue ; Phosphatidylethanolamines

This study aims at exploring the correlation between coping strategies and thinking styles. Methods: The study sample consisted of 62 students (30 females and 32 males) from the Medical Science College in Hodeidah University, Yemen. They responded to the Scale of Coping styles and Inventory of Thinking styles quetionnaire. Results: Active coping strategy was affected significantly by legislative, local and hierarchical thinking styles, while avoidance strategy was affected significantly by oligarchic thinking styles, behavioral conducts by judicial, global and anarchic thinking styles. Significant gender differences were found in behavioral conducts (from coping strategies), anarchic and internal thinking styles with advantage with females. Conclusion: Coping strategies are not independent of thinking styles. These results offer justification and support for future research in larger samples. Potential implications of the impact of thinking styles on coping strategies are also considered.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Thinking ; Students ; Universities

Spirituality and mental adjustment have been widely adopted as coping strategies among women with breast cancer. Little information was available locally on the use of spirituality and mental adjustment as coping mechanisms to fight breast cancer. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess spirituality and mental adjustment as coping strategies and its association with socio demographic data on 216 women with breast cancer. The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp) and Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) Scales were used to assess spirituality and mental adjustment. Negative correlation between spiritual well-being and helplessness/hopelessness (r=-0.690; p=0.000), anxious preoccupation (r=-0.277; p=0.000) and avoidance (r=-0.235; p=0.000) and positive correlation between spiritual well-being and fighting spirit (r=0.668; p=0.000) were identified. Socio-demographic factors such as race (p=0.000), religion (p=0.000), academic qualification (p=0.004) and type of surgery (p=0.016) revealed significant relationship with spiritual well-being. Fighting spirit, hopelessness/helplessness and anxious preoccupation also yielded significant relationship with race (p<0.0001), religion (p=0.001) and academic qualification (p=0.024). Helplessness/hopelessness had a significant relationship with stage of disease (p=0.017) and type of surgery (p=0.011). Meanwhile, fatalistic and avoidance showed a strong relationship with age (p=0.014, r=0.167), occupation (p=0.001) and income (p=0.006), race (p=0.007) and academic qualification (p=0.005). It is thus, concluded that spirituality and mental adjustment are two coping strategies widely adopted by Malaysian women after a breast cancer diagnosis and throughout their breast cancer journey. Women with breast cancer, therefore, should be treated holistically rather than just the disease itself.
Breast Neoplasms ; Spirituality ; Adaptation, Psychological

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in several stressors and difficulties among Filipinos, forcing everyone to cope with the limited resources. There are limited local studies on measuring how well Filipinos are coping in the pandemic. Knowledge on the predominant coping strategy during this crisis and which resources are lacking may guide physicians in tailoring appropriate interventions. Objective: The study aimed to determine the Family Resources and coping strategies of Filipino patients seen in a private, primary clinic in Bucandala (Imus, Cavite) during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the SCREEM Res and Filipino Coping Strategies (FCS) Scale, respectively. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was carried out among adult patients who consulted at a private primary clinic in Imus from November to December 2020. Respondents answered a self-administered survey on sociodemographic profile, family resources (SCREEM Res) and coping strategies (FCS Scale). Results: A total of 140 respondents were included in the study. They almost equally belonged to the average (49.29%) or low income group (47.14%) with a median household size of 4.9. Many (44.29%) were unemployed. The median Total SCREEMRes score of the respondents was 25 (adequate). However, 42% of the respondents had moderately inadequate resources. The SCREEM Res domains of social, cultural and religious resources were adequate (median, 5) while the educational, economic and medical resources were moderately inadequate (median, 4). FCS scores were highest for the domains religiosity, problem solving and cognitive reappraisal and lowest for substance use. Conclusion Respondents had adequate social, cultural and religious family resources but moderately inadequate economic, educational and medical resources. Their predominant coping strategies include religiosity, problem solving and cognitive reappraisal. Family physicians may partner with families in augmenting their inadequate resources by maximizing the use of the dominant coping strategies.
COVID-19 ; Adaptation, Psychological ; Pandemics

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to assess the interaction between alcohol cues and social pressure in the induction of alcohol craving. METHODS: Fourteen male patients with alcohol dependence and 14 age-matched social drinkers completed a virtual reality coping skill training program composed of four blocks according to the presence of alcohol cues (x2) and social pressure (x2). Before and after each block, the craving levels were measured using a visual analogue scale. RESULTS: Patients with alcohol dependence reported extremely high levels of craving immediately upon exposure to a virtual environment with alcohol cues, regardless of social pressure. In contrast, the craving levels of social drinkers were influenced by social pressure from virtual avatars. CONCLUSION: Our findings imply that an alcohol cue-laden environment should interfere with the ability to use coping skills against social pressure in real-life situations.
Adaptation, Psychological* ; Alcoholism* ; Cues ; Education ; Humans ; Male