Coping with COVID-19: Current Trends and A Possible Way Out
COVID-19 created a global health and economic crisis that has changed and will continue changing many lives. It is a major life event that will impact this and many generations after.
Such a major life event and change is a source of stress. Based on this assumption, the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory (1967) attempts to predict the stress-related health issues. [1] However, not everyone reacts the same to the same stressful event; some do not cope well and get sick while others are resilient and even thrive when encountering challenges. How you respond to stressful events and the long-term (mental) health consequences depend on different factors, such as coping strategies.
Coping Strategies
According to World Health Organization, (work-related) “stress is the response people may have when presented with work demands and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities and which challenge their ability to cope.” [2]
We use coping strategies to reduce the gap between the demand and available resources, thereby reducing perceived stress and any associated negative emotions that arise. According to Lazarus, there are two types of coping strategies – adaptive and maladaptive. [3] [4] Most coping strategies are adaptive in the short term, i.e. they provide an immediate reduction of this perceived gap.
Only coping responses that bring about more enduring changes are those that are generally viewed as being successful or adaptive. Adaptive coping strategies usually involve taking action and/or finding resources to deal with the problem, including planning and seeking out information or emotional support from others. [3]
Maladaptive coping strategies (also referred to as negative coping) focus on immediate relief from the negative feelings of threat or harm in the attempt to regain control, without necessarily addressing the source of the stress nor the problem. Therefore, maladaptive coping strategies focus on avoiding rather than solving the problem in favour of short-term emotional regulation, while the gap between the demands and resources is not reduced and may even be widened, which may result in greater perceived stress. These negative coping strategies can be cognitive (denial) or behavioural (disengagement). Typical behaviours include avoidance, overeating and drug use. [3] [4]
Coping Trends in Response to COVID-19
Lately, we are seeing some concerning trends regarding maladaptive personal coping strategies in response to the consequences of COVID-19. A seemingly harmless graph on LinkedIn (Figure 1) is capturing this trend by showing the “winners” of the pandemic so far. For many of us, there may be no real big surprises. However, I was shocked seeing the high numbers for the industries that may be linked to potentially unhealthy coping strategies, namely:
Pharmacies. Since COVID-19 the sales of antidepressant, antianxiety and anti-insomnia medications increased significantly with more than 78% being new prescriptions; a finding that suggests there has been an actual increase in anxiety, depression, and insomnia. This trend may be an in indicator that many people do not cope well with the current challenges and may leading to (long-term) mental health conditions when not managed appropriately. [5]
Alcohol and Tobacco
Online Retail and Subscription Services
Online Gambling
Figure 1: Winners of COVID-19 so far (end of March)
Also (online) gaming got a big boost since the coronavirus pandemic.[6] [7] Preliminary studies, estimate that internet consume (for entertainment and more) increased by 50%-70% and streaming by 12%. [8]
The World Health Organization is concerned that the limited access to fresh foods may lead to the consumption of highly processed foods which tends to be high in fats, sugar and salt. Consuming high amounts of highly processed foods could have negative impacts on overall physical and mental health and well-being. [9]
Academics and research institutes have picked up on this trend and are currently conducting research to find out more how the pandemic may or may not be impacting individuals and societies psychologically, socially and personally (here a link to a survey conducted by University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health).
A humorous graph (Figure 2) showing how COVID-19 changed our perception of what is important which also reflects potentially negative coping strategies:
Increased substance (ab)use such as coffee (and the post itself and comments mention that alcohol is missing in the graph);
Lack of or reduced self-care (shaving; probably the same sweatpants);
Increased internet usage (entertainment).
This graph gives comical relief by sharing how people feel right now and how they cope with the changing working conditions. At the same time, may perceives that these maladaptive coping are endorsed by the community through likes and having virtual drinks with the team every Friday night. All these maladaptive coping strategies may bring temporary ease, however, may cause long-term damage and problems, such as addiction, (mental and/or physical) health conditions and financial issues.
Figure 2: Relative Importance in 2020 (LinkedIn post from April)
What Can You Do?
So what can you do for yourself and the community? It all starts with you.
The first step is awareness and acknowledgement. Monitor your own coping strategies and acknowledge when they do not serve you (anymore). Keep track of what you do, e.g. how often and how much you consume alcohol.
Replace your maladaptive coping strategies with alternative adaptive coping strategies.
Seek social support or professional help.
Check on others and offer social support.
Be mindful of what you role-model and what you (in)directly endorse on social media and when interacting with others.
Nadja’s Thoughts
On a personal note, writing this blog was important to me. As a resilience professional and advocate, I feel it is my responsibility to share my concerns and support the community to become aware of this potential issue and point them into the right direction. I have people in my personal and professional network who struggled with addiction, depression and anxiety in the past. The massive life changes that the pandemic brings (e.g. self-isolation, different ways of working, job loss and career change) are very challenging for everyone of us which may negatively impact our mental health when ill-managed. It is okay to be not okay and ask for help. Let us support each other by starting to have open conversations and reaching out to offer or ask for help.
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[1] Holmes, T. H., & Rahe, R. H. (1967). The social readjustment rating scale. Journal of psychosomatic research, 11, 213. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(67)90010-4
[2] https://www.who.int/occupational_health/topics/stressatwp/en/
[3] Siros, F. M., & Kitner, R. (2015). Less Adaptive or More Maladaptive? A Meta-analytic Investigation of Procrastination and Coping. European Journal of Personality, 29(4), 433–444. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.1985
[4] Holton, M. K., Barry, A. E., & Chaney, J. D. (2016). Employee stress management: An examination of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies on employee health. Work, 53(2), 299-305. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-152145
[5] https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/928901
[7] https://www.verizon.com/about/news/how-americans-are-spending-their-time-temporary-new-normal