Coping with the mental health impact of COVID-19: A study protocol for a multinational longitudinal study on coping and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: PloS one 2023-05, Vol.18 (5), p.e0285803-e0285803
• Main Authors: Backhaus, Insa, Sisenop, Felix, Begotaraj, Edvaldo, Jevtic, Marija, Marchini, Simone, Morganti, Alessandro, Pirlog, Mihail Cristian, Vinko, Matej, Kusturica, Milica P, Lindert, Jutta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Alcohol use; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety disorders; Biology and Life Sciences; Care and treatment; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Depression - epidemiology; Environmental factors; Evaluation; Health policy; Humans; Loneliness; Longitudinal Studies; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental Health; Pandemics; People and Places; Questionnaires; Resilience; Resilience (Personality trait); Serbia; Social Sciences; Socioeconomic factors; Study Protocol; Suicidal behavior
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285803

Mental health is challenged due to serious life events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and can differ by the level of resilience. National studies on mental health and resilience of individuals and communities during the pandemic provide heterogeneous results and more data on mental health outcomes and resilience trajectories are needed to better understand the impact of the pandemic on mental health in Europe. COPERS (Coping with COVID-19 with Resilience Study) is an observational multinational longitudinal study conducted in eight European countries (Albania, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia). Recruitment of participants is based on convenience sampling and data are gathered through an online questionnaire. gathering data on depression, anxiety, stress-related symptoms suicidal ideation and resilience. Resilience is measured with the Brief Resilience Scale and with the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Depression is measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire, Anxiety with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale and stress-related symptoms with the Impact of Event Scale Revised- Suicidal ideation is assessed using item 9 of the PHQ-9. We also consider potential determinants and moderating factors for mental health conditions, including sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender), social environmental factors (e.g., loneliness, social capital) and coping strategies (e.g., Self-efficacy Belief). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to multi-nationally and longitudinally determine mental health outcomes and resilience trajectories in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study will help to determine mental health conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic across Europe. The findings may benefit pandemic preparedness planning and future evidence-based mental health policies.