Physical and psychological stressors of HIV infection demand adequate coping responses from persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) and coping strategies may vary by cultural context. The Brief COPE is a well validated scale that has been used extensively to assess coping with cancer, depression, and HIV infection in other settings, but never in India. In this study we translated and validated the 28 item Brief COPE among 299 PLHA in South India, assessing reliability, validity, and cultural appropriateness. Although the original scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (alpha = 0.70) and good convergent validity with depression, the test–retest reliability was marginal (test–retest = 0.6) and the original factor structure demonstrated poor fit in a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). An exploratory factor analysis yielded a 16 item scale with five factors (active planning, social support, avoidant emotions, substance use, religion). A second CFA demonstrated good model fit and acceptable reliability (alpha = 0.61) of the adapted scale.

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Cultural adaptation of the Brief COPE for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS in Southern India

CORRESPONDENCE To the Editor THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY August 29th, 1958. DEAR SIR, In your Winter 1957 issue (Volume III) an article by Hugh Mullan, M.D., appeared under the title &dquo;Trends in Group Psychotherapy in the United States&dquo;, and in the Summer 1958 issue appeared a rebuttal to it by S. R. Slavson. I would appreciate if you would bring to the attention of your readers my comments on both articles. 1. The central idea of Mullan’s article that &dquo;the patients ... become therapists at times and the therapist becomes a patient at times&dquo; (p. 226) is closely linked to the initial direction which group psychotherapy took in the U.S.A. since the Conference on Group Methods during the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in 1932: &dquo;one man a therapeutic agent of the other&dquo;. It is correct to say that a growing closeness of encounter between therapist and patient is the dominant trend in the U.S.A. The development of group psychotherapy, as a part of the global process of psychological democratization, encouraged a revision of classic superiorsubordinate relation of therapist and patient. The great doctor therapist hypnotizing or analysing the little man on the couch was probably an appropriate method in the Imperial Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. But in a modern democratic culture the patient is &dquo;openly&dquo; recognized as an important therapeutic aid and encouraged to function as such. But the involvement of the therapist

The International Journal of Social Psychiatry

Individuals face increased psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it’s unknown whether choice of coping styles are influenced by COVID-19 in addition to known predictors. Data from 26,016 UK adults in the UCL COVID-19 Social Study were analysed from 12/4/2020 15/5/2020. Regression models were used to identify predictors of coping styles (problem-focused, emotion-focused, avoidant, and socially-supported): model 1 included sociodemographic variables, model 2 additionally included psychosocial factors, and model 3 further included experience of COVID-19 specific adverse worries or events. Sociodemographic and psychosocial predictors of coping align with usual predictors of coping styles not occurring during a pandemic. However, even when controlling for the wide range of these previously known predictors specific adversities were associated with use of specific strategies. Experience of worries about finances, basic needs, and events related to Covid-19 were associated with a range of strategies, while experience of financial adversities was associated with problem-focused, emotion-focused and avoidant coping. There were no associations between coping styles and experiencing challenges in meeting basic needs, but Covid-19 related adversities were associated with a lower use of socially-supported coping. This paper demonstrates that there are not only demographic and social predictors of coping styles during the COVID-19 pandemic, but specific adversities are related to the ways that adults cope. Furthermore, this study identifies groups at risk of more avoidant coping mechanisms which may be targeted for supportive interventions.

/pdf/how-have-people-been-coping-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-3wz0ahmn1d.pdf

How have people been coping during the COVID-19 pandemic? Patterns and predictors of coping strategies amongst 26,016 UK adults.

https://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/1726241/1/1-s2.0-S0165032714001475-main.pdf

Using consumer perspectives to inform the cultural adaptation of psychological treatments for depression: A mixed methods study from South Asia.

Background: As the World’s population is ageing, there is growing interest in various morbidity patterns among the elderly. Depression and depressive symptoms are common in elder people. Often depression is difficult to recognize.

Aims & Objective: The study aims to assess the prevalence of Depression among study population and its relationship with socio demographic factors, co-morbid illness and functional impairment.

Material and Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was done in selected rural & urban field practice areas of Department of SPM by means of simple random sampling. 17,415 populations were screened from 3383 households in both rural and urban areas to identify 1200 elderly aged 60 and above were administered with pretested questionnaire incorporating geriatric depression scale for assessing Depression.

Results: The prevalence of Depression among study population was 31.7% (317/1000). The prevalence was high in rural areas (36%), as compared to urban areas (27%) and increasing with increasing age. It was significantly high among females (37.5%), singles (46%), staying alone (65%), low socio-economic group (34%), those with stressful life events (71%). The most common illnesses among the study population with depression were osteoarthritis (43.9%) cataract (25.2%), hypertension (17.6%), diabetes (7.6%) and heart diseases (3.9%). It was observed that functional impairment was high among those who have depression (6.5%).

Conclusion: Depression is relatively high in rural area, females, illiterates, singles and sufferers of stressful life events or chronic diseases. There is a significant functional impairment with presence of Depression.

/pdf/epidemiological-study-of-depression-among-population-above-3eme8qfoc7.pdf

Epidemiological study of depression among population above 60 years in Visakhapatnam, India -

The influence of stressful life events and coping strategies was studied in 50 depressed and 50 non-depressed persons. It was observed that depressives experienced significantly more stressful life events and were also using significantly more avoidance coping strategies as compared to their non-depressed counterparts. The moderate and severely depressed patients were exposed to more stressful life events and were using more avoidance coping strategies as compared to mildly depressed patients.

G B Advani

Papers

Influence of Stressful Life Events and Coping Strategies in Depression