Major Coping-behavior and Risk-perception Factors for the COVID-19 Pandemic and their Psychobehavioral Characteristics

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has dramatically changed people’s behavior, to prevent infection and overcome the general adversity caused by the implementation of infection-prevention measures. Here, we investigated the main coping-behavior and risk-perception factors, and the underlying psychological mechanisms (e.g., psychobehavioral characteristics) of coping behavior. We recruited 2,885 Japanese participants (1,524 women, ages 20–91 years). First, we identified four coping-behavior factors (two related to infection and two related to general adversity) and three risk-perception factors (one related to medical aspects and two related to society). Second, we demonstrated that infection prevention was promoted by female sex and etiquette in the Power to Live scale. General-adversity coping behavior was facilitated by shortages of daily necessities. Thus, we identified four parsimonious coping-behavior factors, as well as the risk-perception factors and demographic and psychobehavioral characteristics that influenced them. These results will benefit strategic approaches to optimize the social response to the pandemic.

STUDY OF PECULIARITIES AND FACTORS OF MENTAL HEALTH IN PERSONS WITH DIFFERENT HEALTH LEVELS

The article examines the features and factors of manifestation of mental health in persons with different levels of health: mild health disorders, chronic diseases and other defects, severe health disorders and disabilities. At the beginning, the author cites the results of an analysis of theoretical sources on mental health problems and highlights the factors that affect its level: the presence and degree of physical disorders in health and the presence of mental disorders and negative psychological states. As shown by the results of a survey of research participants, more than 70% of them have mental health disorders, expressed in the manifestation of negative mental states and disorders. Further, the features of mental health in persons with different levels of health were studied by using the following questionnaires: "Scale of coherence", "Test of hardiness", "Test of dispositional optimism", "Test of social adaptation", "Methods of coping behavior". An analysis of the results of using these questionnaires showed that the presence and degree of disorders in human health affects a decrease in the levels of hardiness and dispositional optimism, and deterioration in mental health and the development of negative psychological states also lead to a decrease in hardiness and its components, and a decrease in optimistic expectations from changes in the future, a decrease in the level of a sense of coherence and the possibilities of cognitive perception of the surrounding reality, an increase in the level of negative impact of stress on the psychophysical state of a person and an increase in cases of choosing maladaptive coping strategies for coping with stress.

A study of defensive-coping behavior in medical students with different levels of sociability

В статье анализируются результате особенностей защитно-совладающего поведения у студентов медицинского вуза с различным уровнем общительности. В исследовании особое внимание уделено уровню общительности, поскольку данный компонент включен в профессионально важное качество личности врача и от данного компонента зависит эффективность лечебного взаимодействия. В исследовании приняли участие студенты 5 курса лечебного факультета в количестве 55 человек. Методиками обследования послужили: 1) оценка уровня общительности (В.Ф. Ряховский); 2) методика измерения психологической защиты (Е.Р. Пилюгина, Р.Ф. Сулейманов). Доминирующими копинг стратегиями в поведении студенты-медики используют: «подавление», «проекция» и «юмор». У студентов медицинского вуза первой и второй группы преобладают адаптивные типы защитно-совладающего поведения. Эмпирически доказано различие в сформированности копинг стратегий по уровню общительности, используемых студентами медицинских специальностей. Нами были обнаружены различия в уровнях психологических защит между данными группами, а именно по шкалам «диссоциация», «изоляция» Полученные результаты исследования могут применяться психологами образовательных учреждений при составлении программ психологического сопровождения с целью коррекции совладающего поведения. The article analyzes the result of the peculiarities of defensive-coping behavior among medical students with different levels of sociability. In the study, special attention is paid to the level of sociability, since this component is included in the professionally important quality of the doctor's personality and the effectiveness of the therapeutic interaction depends on this component. The study involved 55 students of the 5th year of the Faculty of General Medicine. The survey methods were: 1) assessment of the level of sociability (V.F. Ryakhovsky); 2) a technique for measuring psychological defense (E.R. Pilyugina, R.F. Suleymanov). The dominant coping strategies in behavior are used by medical students: "suppression", "projection" and "humor". Among students of a medical university of the first and second groups, adaptive types of defensive-coping behavior prevail. The difference in the formation of coping strategies by the level of sociability used by students of medical specialties has been empirically proven. We found differences in the levels of psychological defenses between these groups, namely on the scales of "dissociation", "isolation". The obtained results of the study can be used by psychologists of educational institutions when drawing up programs of psychological support in order to correct coping behavior.

Stress resistance and coping behavior of university graduates as a factor in their employment

Актуальность статьи обусловлена тем, что выпускники вузов очень часто остаются не востребованными на рынке труда и профессионально дезадаптируются. В статье представлен анализ наиболее актуальных проблем формирования копинг стратегий поведения. Представлены результаты исследования стрессоустойчивости и копинг стратегий поведения безработных выпускников вуза и трудоустроившихся выпускников, согласно которым, выпускники ВУЗов, успешно устроившиеся на работу, наиболее часто используют относительно адаптивные когнитивные копинг стратегии поведения и адаптивные эмоциональные и поведенческие копинг стратегии поведения. Безработные выпускники ВУЗов часто используют неадаптивные варианты когнитивных копинг стратегий, относительно адаптивные варианты эмциональных копинг стратегий, а также адаптивные поведенческие копинг стратегии поведения. Полученные выводы указывают на то, что проблемные жизненные ситуации требуют активизации познавательных способностей человека и эмоциональной устойчивости. Устойчивые и неустойчивые к стрессу выпускники ведут себя в трудных ситуациях по-разному, используя различные по адаптивности копинг стратегии поведения. The relevance of the article is due to the fact that university graduates very often remain unclaimed in the labor market and professionally maladapted. The article presents an analysis of the most pressing problems of the formation of coping strategies of behavior. The paper presents the results of a study of stress resistance and coping behavior strategies of unemployed university graduates and graduates who successfully got a job in their specialty, according to which, university graduates who have successfully got a job most often use relatively adaptive cognitive coping strategies of behavior and adaptive emotional and behavioral coping strategies of behavior. Unemployed university graduates often use non-adaptive variants of cognitive coping strategies, relatively adaptive variants of emotional coping strategies, and adaptive behavioral coping strategies of behavior. The findings indicate that problematic life situations require the mobilization of a person's cognitive abilities and emotional stability. Resistant and unstable people behave in difficult situations in different ways, using coping strategies of different adaptability.

Effects of Perceptions of Climate Change and Flood Risk on Coping Behavior: A Case Study of Taipei, Taiwan

Globalization and population growth have put great pressure on the environment over the last few decades, and climate change has increased associated negative effects. Researchers examine the interactions between human and the environment. Among them, the relationship between place attachment and pro-environmental behavior has attracted particular research attention. However, few studies have addressed the relationships among flood risk perceptions, place attachment, and climate change coping behavior in a densely populated urban area. This study examines the effects of perceptions of climate change and flood risk on coping behavioral intention, and determines whether place attachment plays a mediating or moderating role therein in Taipei, the flood-prone capital city of Taiwan. A total of 1208 questionnaires were collected. An analysis of the mediation effects based on a three-level regression model (Phase I) suggested that place attachment is not a mediator. Adjustment of the model and analysis of moderation effects using structural equation modeling (Phase II) suggested no moderation effect. In Phase III, the mediation effect was reexamined, with the replacement of dependent variables (adaptation/mitigation) with high-effort/low-effort coping behaviors, and one dimension of place attachment was replaced with four dimensions thereof (place dependence and place identity, place satisfaction, place affect, place social bonding). The results thus obtained reveal that the paths of place satisfaction exhibit significant mediating effects between attitudes and high-effort coping behavior. Some paths exhibit significant mediating effects between perceptions and low-effort coping behavior through place satisfaction. Another four paths exhibit partial significant mediating effects through place dependence and place identity and place social bonding. These results suggest that affective attachment of people to local places results in a behavioral tendency to protect or improve those places. The main contribution of this study is its support of meta-analyses of the effects of each dimension of place attachment to provide a better understanding of the effects of place attachment on flood risk perception and coping behavior.

Theories of a Stress-Coping Behavior: Searching for Neurocognitive Mechanisms

The article proves that the main form of overcoming stress is coping behavior, which is understood as a purposeful social and neurophysiologically determined behavior that allows a person to cope with stress in ways that meet the characteristics of the individual and the situation. Coping behavior is considered a synonym for stress-coping behavior, which is expressed in the use of coping strategies by the individual. Personal characteristics and situational factors determine the choice of coping behavior strategies. The article aims to resolve the contradictions of multimodal approaches to the problem in question in the post-Soviet countries and group theories that include not only external social but also neurophysiological factors. The article shows that the choice of coping strategies mostly depends on personal and neurophysiological factors. These include neurophysiological reflexive or instinctive and higher ones: adequate self-concept, positive self-esteem, personality anxiety, cognitive style, and energy resources, which include endurance and temperament characteristics, intelligence, creativity, and locus of personality control. Overcoming a stressful situation is impossible without cognitive "processing," which becomes available through reflection. The influence of reflection on the choice of coping strategy of the individual is that reflective individuals choose more adaptive and effective strategies. The international relevance of the article lies in discovering neuroscientific aspects of the problem in question in the post-Soviet countries, which will allow these countries to contribute to the global scientific interdisciplinary discourse.

Reactive and Proactive Coping Behaviors in Russian First-Year Students: Diagnostics and Development Opportunities

The relevance of the study is determined by the role of the adaptation processes of first-year students to the university environment, which is the most important (preliminary) stage for: (a) their successful overcoming of various learning difficulties; (b) comfortable and constructive interaction with teachers and other students; and (c) search and application of adaptive behavior strategies due to new living conditions. The development of proactive coping is a key factor in the students efficient learning activity because it represents a platform for their personal growth. The aim of the study is to determine the possibilities of diagnostics and development of reactive and proactive coping behavior in first-year students. The study involved 272 first-year students at Pacific National University (including 136 students of an experimental group who sought help from the University Psychology Center in 2019 and 136 first-year volunteer students as a control group). The following methods were used for diagnostics: Proactive Coping Inventory (PCI) , adapted by E.P. Belinskaya et al., Ways of Coping Questionnaire by R. Lazarus, adapted by T.L. Kryukova et al., Hardiness Survey by Salvatore Maddi adapted by D.A. Leontyev and E.I. Rasskazova, Time Perspective Inventory (TPI) by Ph.Ge. Zimbardo, adapted by A. Syrtsova et al. and Reflexivity Diagnostics Method by A.V. Karpov. As a result, the first-year students showed low levels of developed reactive and proactive coping, high levels of social and emotional support as well as escape-avoidance, average levels of strategic planning and search for informational support, and a reduced level of reflective, predictive resource. It is shown that the search for social, emotional and informational support is the basis for constructing adaptive behavior strategies. It is confirmed that self-control and the category of the future are moderating for all types of proactive coping. The conducted cluster analysis made it possible to identify three profiles, which differ in the levels and content of reactive and proactive behavior (non-adaptive, reactive and active with a tendency to proactive). Repeated measurements show that individual and group forms of psychological intervention cause changes in the indicators of reactive-proactive coping behavior, which can be regarded as a positive dynamics in the development of behavior in students of the experimental group. Finally, a conclusion was formulated about the possibilities of using various forms of psychological support (individual counseling, trainings, and self-help groups) in optimizing the first-year students proactive coping behavior.

Influential Factors for Sustainable Intention to Visit a National Park during COVID-19: The Extended Theory of Planned Behavior with Perception of Risk and Coping Behavior

Despite the danger of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, visits to natural tourism destinations such as national parks are continuing, though people are using less congested trails or minimizing personal contact. Given the danger from COVID-19, the purpose of our study was to use an expanded theory of planned behavior to analyze whether tourists intend to continue to visit national parks. Another purpose for our study was to compare an extant research model based on the theory of planned behavior with the extended model we developed. Frequency analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and other statistical techniques, such as correlation analysis, parsimonious fit index, and squared multiple correlations were employed according to the appropriate objectives. Additionally, the number of 351 participants joined the survey. Our study found that perception of risk of COVID-19 negatively affected attitude and perceived behavioral control in both models. Moreover, the perceived behavioral control had a positive effect on coping behavior. Given the analytical results, our study presents not only theoretical implications for understanding the behavior of those who visit national parks, but also practical implications for operation and management of national parks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Communicative Coping and Friendship Among Persons Living With Dementia: Findings From Long-Term Care

The study of identity is central to many disciplines, however there is a special link that connects language and discourse to identities. The way people speak reveals a lot about who they are. Through discourse and communication individuals convey and negotiate their sense of self (de Fina, 2020). Regardless of cognitive status, persons living with dementia (PLWD) use language to construct for themselves a social identity of being included in friendship networks (de Medeiros et al., 2011). This paper uses data from the Friendship Study to examine the use of such communicative coping behavior (CCB) for friendship formation. Ethnographic observations of PLWD were conducted in a Long-Term Care residential setting. Sociolinguistic discourse analysis of verbatim transcripts with reference to the CCB Checklist (Saunders et al., 2016) reveal evidence of CCB use. Results suggest that different types of CCBs were used to construct identity and negotiate friendship challenges in different contexts.