COVID-19

School and kindergarten

Parents, pupils and students on distance education in emergency situations during the first wave of the covid-19 pandemic

In collaboration with master’s degree student Luka Uršič, we conducted a survey on the views of pupils of the last triad of elementary school, high school students as well as their parents on the key aspects of distance education during the first wave of the pandemic. The research was conducted during the closure of the country and schools in the spring of 2020. We found that schoolchildren spent slightly more time on distance learning than before the pandemic, and they reported missing personal contact with their classmates the most. Distance learning was rated as less motivating, and participants reported that they acquired less knowledge, which was less consolidated. Parents also faced various problems during distance education. In particular, parents of elementary school students reported problems with coordinating schooling and other obligations, problems in the case of several school-age children, and problems with motivating the child for schoolwork. Parents of high school graduates missed personal contact with teachers to a greater extent, and they rated distance learning as more stressful than the other two groups of parents of school students. Parents, similarly to their adolescents, estimated that during distance learning in emergency situations, the students acquired less knowledge, which was also less consolidated. Both schoolchildren and their parents believed that distance learning will become important in the future, but it will not replace classroom learning. Schoolchildren highlighted the fact that they became more independent during this period as a positive aspect of distance learning.

Literature:

Uršič, L. in Puklek Levpušček, M. (2020). Učenci zadnje triade OŠ in dijaki o učenju na daljavo med epidemijo COVID-19. V Ž. Lep in K. Hacin Beyazoglu (ur.), Psihologija pandemije : posamezniki in družba v času koronske krize (str. 191-203). Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete.

https://e-knjige.ff.uni-lj.si/znanstvena-zalozba/catalog/view/243/347/5746-1

Puklek Levpušček, M. in Uršič, L. (2021). Slovenian parents’ views on emergency remote schooling during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. CEPS journal, 11, 263-290,

https://cepsj.si/index.php/cepsj/article/view/1127/531

Closure of kindergartens and schools as a result of the covid-19 epidemic: How do the children feel?

The purpose of this qualitative study, which was carried out in early 2021, was to examine, based on direct reports from children, how preschool and school children feel during the closing of kindergartens and schools due to the covid-19 pandemic. We were also interested in how the children’s parents assess their potential emotional and behavioral problems and what problems parents cope with during the epidemic. The largest proportion of preschool children answered that they felt good, while slightly less reported that they felt bad or both good and bad at the same time, however most school children reported feeling bad. Children mentioned both positive and negative aspects of the quarantine, namely social isolation from friends as a negative aspect, while school children also mentioned work for the school. Most of the children did not express significant behavioral and emotional problems. The majority of parents reported difficulties in coordinating work obligations, dealing with the child and helping the child with school work. The findings of the study offer a starting point for reflection on the importance of opening kindergartens and schools during the epidemic and the creation of support for parents and children in effectively coping with the negative consequences of school and kindergarten closure.

Literature:

Marjanovič Umek, L., Hacin Beyazoglu, K. in Fekonja, U. (2021). Zaprtje vrtcev in šol kot posledica epidemije covida-19: Kako se počutijo otroci? Sodobna pedagogika, 72(1), 10-31.

Problems and challenges of families with children in early and middle childhood during the quarantine due to the covid-19 epidemic

In collaboration with 3rd year Psychology students, we conducted a qualitative study on the problems and challenges faced by families during the quarantine during the first wave of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The purpose of the qualitative research was to examine the challenges and problems faced by families during the quarantine due to the covid-9 pandemic, and their ways of coping. We found that most families coped relatively effectively and adapted to the situation. Parents most often mentioned problems with balancing work and family time, arguments, overload and stress. In the case of children, the lack of social contacts with peers and problems with schoolwork for school-aged children were highlighted as the biggest problem. Parents also mentioned positive aspects of the quarantine, such as more time for joint activities, better division of tasks and mutual help and connection. There were differences between families in levels of perceived problems and challenges which were related to the age of the children and the workload of the parents.

Literature:

Hacin Beyazoglu, K., Bertogna, T., Hostnik, L., Jakopič, T., Škoda, K., Zakelšek, M. in Fekonja, U. (2020). Težave in izzivi družin z otroki v zgodnjem in srednjem otroštvu med karanteno zaradi epidemije COVID-19. V Ž. Lep in K. Hacin Beyazoglu (ur.), Psihologija pandemije : posamezniki in družba v času koronske krize (str. 191-203). Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete.

https://ebooks.uni-lj.si/zalozbaul//catalog/view/243/347/5746-1

Challenges of distance learning for students with an immigrant background in the first and second waves of the Covid-19 epidemic

During the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, in the spring of 2020, we conducted a qualitative survey on a random sample of some primary and secondary schools in Slovenia, in which teachers and principals reported what challenges they face in remote teaching with children with an immigrant background, how they adapt lessons and how pupils and students with an immigrant background react to the changed conditions of schooling from home. The results of the analysis show a narrowing of the learning content, which, along with harder-to-understand written instructions, technical limitations and the specifics of the home learning space, require teachers to engage in directly establishing dialogue via phone or social media, and agree to a fluid teaching time. The learning process, which was mainly limited to Slovenian lessons, could only proceed if basic moral and emotional support was provided to the students and their parents, who were left without contact with the Slovenian language environment during the pandemic. In a year’s time, in the spring of 2021, we compared the challenges and adaptations of distance education during the first and second wave of the epidemic and the perceived effects of distance education for students with an immigrant background in a quantitative survey on a small, casual sample of teachers and students with an immigrant background. The results indicate a decline in problems with ICT equipment compared to the first wave, while problems related to learning and the language of instruction and the effects of social isolation were still present. The teachers personalized the method of teaching and learning support according to the perceived language and learning difficulties and personal hardships. Multilingual approaches have proven to be effective in providing inclusive teaching in multicultural environments and should be strengthened in school lessons as well.

Literature:

Žmavc, J., Autor, S., Gril, A. (2020). “Tudi mama se vam zahvaljuje in vas pozdravlja” – Pedagoški proces z otroki priseljencev med epidemijo covida-19. Sodobna pedagogika, 71(137), 4, str. 58-74. ISSN 0038-0474. https://www.sodobna-pedagogika.net/arhiv/nalozi-clanek/?id=1767 . [COBISS.SI-ID 44430339].

Gril, A., Autor, S., Žmavc, J. (2022). Učenci s priseljenskim ozadjem pri pouku na daljavo v drugem valu epidemije bolezni Covid-19 v Sloveniji. Dve domovini : razprave o izseljenstvu, 56, str. 169-185. ISSN 0353-6777. https://ojs.zrc-sazu.si/twohomelands/article/view/10953/10136, DOI: 10.3986/dd.2022.2.12. [COBISS.SI-ID 116307971] .

Emotional and behavioral reactions

Problems in close interpersonal relationships of young people during the covid-19 pandemic

In the study, we compared the level of problems in close relationships of young people aged 18 to 25 in the areas of relationships with friends, establishing a new partnership, sexuality, current partnership, parental control and living with parents, and family conflicts in the period before the pandemic and in the first two waves of the pandemic. The results showed that the level of perceived problems during the two waves of the pandemic increased in all six areas of relationships, mostly in the areas of relationships with friends and establishing a new partnership. The level of perceived problems was also related to the participants’ educational level, gender, presence or absence of a partner relationship, and change of residence during the pandemic.

Literature:

Puklek Levpušček, M. in Poredoš, M. (2022). Difficulties in the close social relationships of Slovenian students during the Covid-19 pandemic. CEPS journal. Doi: https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1400

Perceived impact of the pandemic on perceptions of the future and subjective well-being among young people at the transition to adulthood in six countries

Within the framework of the international research group COVIN (COVID International), we studied the perceived impact of the pandemic (financial impact, impact of (in)availability of basic resources and psychological impact) on individuals’ perceptions of their financial future and their future life in general, and the indirect role of intolerance of uncertainty in these predictive relationships. The perceived type of influence (financial, resources, psychological) negatively and directly predicted young people’s less optimistic ideas about the financial future and about life in the future, irrespective of the mean differences between countries. Higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty, however, also mediated the significant effect of perceived psychological impact on less optimistic views of the future.

Furthermore, we wanted to identify whether groups vary in their degree of resistance to the unfavorable life circumstances of the pandemic. Through the analysis of latent profiles, we identified 4 different resilience profiles, which include several resilience resources: self-resilience and positivity dimensions, religiosity, socio-economic status, perceived emotional support from family and perceived emotional support from peers. 1. the group with highly rated resources (more often from Portugal and Slovenia) perceived the negative psychological impact of the pandemic the weakest, expressed the highest level of subjective well-being and had the most positive view of their future; 2. the group with low rated resources (more often from China, men and young people without a partner) rated their well-being the lowest and were the least optimistic about the future; The 3rd group with peer support and low-rated other resources (more often from Italy and the USA, women and young people with a partner who lived alone) did report a medium level of well-being, but perceived a similarly strong negative impact of the pandemic as the 2nd group (and an even stronger negative financial impact) and was the least optimistic about the future; The 4th group with family support and low-rated other resources (more often from Lithuania, students, without a partner or had their own child) reported an average level of well-being, were moderately optimistic about the future, and had the least problems with access to basic life resources. The associations of less flexible profiles with “country” overlapped, at least in part, with an earlier onset of the pandemic and a higher prevalence of the virus in the population.

Literature:

Lanz, M., Sorgente, A., Voysilis, R., Fonesca, G., Lep, Ž., Li, L., Zupančič, M., Crespo, C., Relvas, A. P., Serido, J. (2021). A Cross-national study of COVID-19 impact and future possibilities among emerging adults. Emerging adulthood. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21676968211046071, DOI: 10.1177/21676968211046071.

Sorgente, A., Fonesca, G., Lep, Ž., Li, L., Serido, J., Voysilis, R., Crespo, C., Relvas, A. P., Zupančič in M., Lanz, M. (2022). Profiles of emerging adults’ resilience facing the negative impact of COVID-19 across six countries. Current Psychology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-022-03658-y, DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03658-y.

Cross-cultural similarities and differences in the effects of age, gender, and political beliefs on the perceived impact of a pandemic

Literature:

Conway III, L. G., …., Lep, Ž., Zupančič, M. idr. (2022). How culturally unique are pandemic effects? Evaluating cultural similarities and differences in effects of age, biological sex, and political beliefs on COVID impacts. Frontiers in Psychology. Doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.937211

Dejavniki dobrega duševnega zdravja in težav v duševnem zdravju pri odraslih med epidemijo

Psihološko odzivanje odraslh na epidemijo COVID-19 smo spremljali v nizu raziskav: (1) v prvih tednih razglašene epidemije v Sloveniji smo o psihološkem doživljanju povprašali 2722 oseb (25 % moških), starih med 18 in 82 let; (2) del teh udeležencev (N = 142) je v omenjeni raziskavi sodeloval petkrat v času od začetka do konca uradne epidemije spomladi 2020; (3) v mednarodni raziskavi je 425 slovenskih odraslih (21 % moških), starih od 18 do 76 let, poročalo o psihološkem doživljanju in spoprijemanju z epidemijo. Rezultati analiz so pokazali manj ugodno psihološko delovanje žensk v primerjavi z moškimi, mlajših v primerjavi s starejšimi odraslimi ter manj izobraženih v primerjavi z bolj izobraženimi posamezniki. Poleg tega je na psihološko delovanje ljudi imela večji učinek zaskrbljenost zaradi dejavnikov, povezanih z ukrepi za preprečevanje širjenja virusa, kot pa skrbi v zvezi z okužbo. Skrbi glede ukrepov so prispevale k višji ravni simptomatike v duševnem zdravju in nižji ravni subjektivnega blagostanja, in sicer tako neposredno kot preko zmanjševanja in oviranja zadovoljevanja temeljnih psiholoških potreb. Ugotovili smo tudi, da v psihološkem odzivanju na epidemijo odraslih igrajo pomembno vlogo njihove temeljne in nekatere specifične osebnostne značilnosti. Na primer, v prvem tednu epidemije so bili najbolj v stresu posamezniki z razmeroma visokim nevroticizmom, medtem ko so imeli bolj ekstravertni, sprejemljivi, vestni in čustveno stabilni posamezniki večjo verjetnost ugodnejšega subjektivnega blagostanja. Pomemben varovalni dejavnik za duševno zdravje je imela osebnostna prožnost, t. j. njihova zmožnost učinkovitega prilagajanja na raznolike stresne situacije. Spremljanje psihološkega doživljanja odraslh v prvih treh mesecih epidemije je pokazalo, da so se ljudje uspešno prilagodili na spremenjene razmere, saj je s časom zaznani stres s časom upadal, subjektivno blagostanje pa naraščalo. Na začetku je odraslim stres povzročala predvsem mogoča okužba s koronavirusom, s trajanjem epidemije pa predvsem dolgoročne posledice epidemije, spremenjene življenjske okoliščine in skrbi v zvezi s službo.

Literatura:

Kavčič, T., Avsec, A. in Zager Kocjan, G. (2020). Od začetka do konca uradne epidemije COVID-19 v Sloveniji : stresorji, stres in blagostanje. V Ž. Lep in K. Hacin Beyazoglu (ur.), Psihologija pandemije : posamezniki in družba v času koronske krize (str. 23-35). Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete. https://ebooks.uni-lj.si/zalozbaul//catalog/view/243/347/5746-1

Avsec, A., Zager Kocjan, G. in Kavčič, T., (2020). Kdo je bil najbolj v stresu prvi teden epidemije COVID-19. V Ž. Lep in K. Hacin Beyazoglu (ur.), Psihologija pandemije : posamezniki in družba v času oronske krize (str. 93-103). Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete. https://ebooks.uni-lj.si/zalozbaul//catalog/view/243/347/5746-1

Zager Kocjan, G., Kavčič, T. in Avsec, A., (2020). Kaj nam je povzročalo stres in slabšalo blagostanje med epidemijo COVID-19. V Ž. Lep in K. Hacin Beyazoglu (ur.), Psihologija pandemije : posamezniki in družba v času koronske krize (str. 117-128). Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete. https://ebooks.uni-lj.si/zalozbaul//catalog/view/243/347/5746-1

Kavčič, T., Avsec, A. in Zager Kocjan, G. (2021). Psychological functioning of Slovene adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: Does resilience matter?. Psychiatric Quarterly, 92, 207-216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-020-09789-4

Zager Kocjan, G., Kavčič, T. in Avsec, A. (2021). Resilience matters: Explaining the association between personality and psychological functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 21, 100198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2020.08.002

Avsec, A., Zager Kocjan, G. in Kavčič, T. (2021). COVID-19 lockdown distress, but not the infection concerns, shape psychological functioning during the pandemic: The mediating role of basic psychological needs. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 62, 717–724. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12758

Strategije spoprijemanja v času epidemije

V obsežni mednarodni študiji je o spoprijemanju z okoliščinami epidemije ter duševnem in fizičnem zdravju poročalo preko 11 tisoč odraslih iz 30 držav vseh celin, med njimi tudi preko tisoč Slovencev. K nižjemu zaznanemu stresu ter bolj ugodnemu subjektivnemu blagostanju in subjektivnemu fizičnemu zdravju je prispevalo zlasti na smisel usmerjeno spoprijemanje, ki vključuje strategije, s katerimi posamezniki oblikujejo in ohranjajo občutka smisla in pomena svojega življenja, reinterpretirajo neugodne izkušnje kot izziv in priložnost za rast ter sprejemajo stresne okoliščine in tudi v njih najdejo nek smisel za svoje življenje. Tovrsten način spoprijemanja, ki je očitno še posebej učinkovit v nejasnih in negotovih okoliščinah pandemije, pa v manjši meri uporabljajo psihološko neprožni posamezniki – to so tisti, ki izražajo rigidne spoznavne, čustvene in vedenjske vzorce ter težje sledijo osebnim ciljem in vrednotam v zahtevnih situacijah. Dodatna analiza rabe strategij spoprijemanja pri slovenskih odraslih je pokazala, da so ljudje med epidemijo uporabljali eno od treh kombinacij posameznih strategij: (1) osebe z zavzetim slogom spoprijemanja so razmeroma pogosto uporabljali aktivno spoprijemanje, načrtovanje, sprejemanje in pozitivno reinterpretacijo, ta kombinacija strategij pa je se povezovala z najbolj ugodnim duševnim zdravjem; (2) osebe z izogibajočim slogom spoprijemanja so uporabljale predvsem tiste strategije, ki posameznikom omogočajo izogibanje stresnim okoliščinam – uporabo alkohola in drog, občutki krivde, humor – poročale pa so o najmanj ugodnem subjektivnem blagostanju; (3) osebe z nezavzetim slogom spoprijemanja so v splošnem v najmanjši meri uporabljale raznolike strategije spoprijemanja, kar se je povezovala z najvišjo ravnjo stresa, depresivnosti in anksioznosti.

Literatura:

Kavčič, T., Avsec, A. in Zager Kocjan, G. (2022). Coping profiles and their association with psychological functioning: A latent profile analysis of coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personality and Individual Differences, 185, 111287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111287

Avsec, A., Eisenback, N., Carreno, D. F., Zager Kocjan, G. in Kavčič, T. (2022). Coping styles mediate the association between psychological inflexibility and psychological functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic: A crucial role of meaning-centered coping. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 26, 201-209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2022.10.001

Eisenbeck, N., Avsec, A., Zager Kocjan, G., Kavčič, T., et al. (2021). An international study on psychological coping during COVID-19: Towards a meaning-centered coping style. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 22, 100198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2021.100256

Dejavniki storilnosti na delovnem in družinskem področju v času epidemije COVID-19

Ukrepi, povezani s pandemijo COVID-19, so prinesli večje spremembe na področju razmejevanja dela in zasebnega življena. Delovne organizacije so v visokem odstotku prešle na delo na domu, sočasno so se zaprli vzgojno-izobraževalni zavodi. V kontekstu teh sprememb smo izvedli dve dnevniški raziskavi (N1=128; N2=138), ki sta proučevali dejavniki udejstvovanja oziroma storilnosti na delovnem in družinskem področju tekom enega delovnega tedna. Rezultati obeh dnevniških študij razkrivajo, da se kršitve meje med delom in zasebnim življenjem povezujejo tako z nezadovoljstvom z udejstvovanjem v poklicnem življenju kot v zasebnem. Druga dnevniška študija nadalje razkriva, da se pri delu od doma zaposleni soočajo z nedokončanimi nalogami in opravili, tako službenimi, kot zasebnimi. Tovrstne nedokončane naloge še dodatno prispevajo k nezadovoljstvu z zasebnim in poklicnim življenjem. Raziskavi sta dodatno proučili vlogo spola in starševstva in ugotovili, da so največ težav z upravljanjem meja v kontekstu dela od doma imele ženske z otroki, medtem ko so moški z otroki lažje upravljali z mejami med delom in zasebnim življenjem.

Literatura:

Kerman, K., Korunka, C., & Tement, S. (2022). Work and home boundary violations during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of segmentation preferences and unfinished tasks. Applied Psychology. An International Review, 71(3), 784-806. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12335

Emotional responses, trust and credibility of information sources, and self-protective behavior during an epidemic

In a series of studies conducted in Slovenia and Serbia with researchers from Belgrade, we studied the connections between people’s emotional responses, trust and perceived credibility of information sources, and self-protective behavior. We were interested in both the connections between the studied constructs and their predictive values, as well as the changes in the constructs in the different phases of the epidemic. The perceived credibility of received information about the epidemic was associated with lower negative emotional responses, as well as with self-protective behavior immediately after the first officially confirmed cases of covid-19. Over the course of the pandemic, people’s responses varied, largely in line with the number of confirmed cases in the country. Based on people’s response patterns, we identified separate phases of the pandemic. Research findings can serve as help or a starting point in designing ways to inform people about the course of the epidemic and measures related to it.

Literature:

Hacin Beyazoglu, K., Babnik, K. in Lep, Ž. (2020). Sto ur po prvem primeru okužbe s COVID-19 v Sloveniji: zaupanje in zaznana verodostojnost virov informacij ter čustveni odzivi. V Ž. Lep in K. Hacin Beyazoglu (ur.), Psihologija pandemije : posamezniki in družba v času koronske krize (str. 191-203). Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete.

https://ebooks.uni-lj.si/zalozbaul//catalog/view/243/347/5746-1

Lep, Ž., Babnik, K. in Hacin Beyazoglu, K. (2020). Emotional responses and self-protective behavior within days of the COVID-19 outbreak: the promoting role of information credibility. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1846. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01846

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01846/full

Lep, Ž., Ilić, S., Teovanović, P., Hacin Beyazoglu, K. in Damnjanovic, K. (2021). One hundred and sixty-one days in the life of the homopandemicus in Serbia: the contribution of information credibility and alertness in predicting engagement in protective behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 631791. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631791

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631791/full

Lep, Ž., Damnjanović, K., Ilić, S., Teovanović, P. in Hacin Beyazoglu, K. (2020). HomoPostpandemicus: vedenjski in čustveni odzivi na pandemijo COVID-19 po koncu prvega vala v Srbiji. V Ž. Lep in K. Hacin Beyazoglu (ur.), Psihologija pandemije : posamezniki in družba v času koronske krize (str. 191-203). Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete.

https://ebooks.uni-lj.si/zalozbaul//catalog/view/243/347/5746-1

Determinants of good mental health and mental health problems in adults during an epidemic

We monitored the psychological response of adults to the COVID-19 epidemic in a series of studies: (1) in the first weeks of the declared epidemic in Slovenia, we asked 2,722 people (25% men), aged between 18 and 82, about their psychological experience; (2) part of these participants (N = 142) took part in the aforementioned survey five times during the period from the beginning to the end of the official epidemic in the spring of 2020; (3) in an international survey, 425 Slovenian adults (21% men), aged 18 to 76, reported on their psychological experience and coping with the epidemic. The results of the analyzes showed less favorable psychological functioning of women compared to men, younger compared to older adults, and less educated compared to more educated individuals. In addition, people’s psychological functioning was affected more by concerns about factors related to measures to prevent the spread of the virus than by concerns about infection. Concerns about measures contributed to higher levels of mental health symptomatology and lower levels of subjective well-being, both directly and through reducing and hindering the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. We also found that participant’s fundamental as well as several specific personality characteristics play an important role in the psychological response to the epidemic. For example, during the first week of the epidemic, individuals with relatively high neuroticism were most stressed, while more extraverted, agreeable, conscientious, and emotionally stable individuals were more likely to have more favorable subjective well-being. An important protective factor for mental health was personality flexibility, i.e. their ability to effectively adapt to diverse stressful situations. Monitoring the psychological experience of adults during the first three months of the epidemic showed that people successfully adapted to the changed conditions, as perceived stress decreased over time, while subjective well-being increased. In the beginning, adults were mainly stressed by the possible infection with the coronavirus, but with the duration of the pandemic, mainly the long-term consequences of the pandemic, changed life circumstances and worries about work.

Literature:

Coping strategies during an epidemic

In an extensive international study, over 11,000 adults from 30 countries on all continents, including over a thousand Slovenians, reported on their coping with the circumstances of the epidemic and their mental and physical health. Meaning-oriented coping, which includes strategies with which individuals create and maintain a sense of meaning and meaning in their lives, reinterpret adverse experiences as a challenge and opportunity for growth, and accept stressful circumstances and even in them they find some meaning for their lives, related most strongly to higher subjective well-being, subjective physical health and lower percieved stress . This type of coping, which was apparently particularly effective in the unclear and uncertain circumstances of the pandemic, is used to a lesser extent by psychologically inflexible individuals – i.e. those who express rigid cognitive, emotional and behavioral patterns and find it more difficult to follow personal goals and values in challenging situations. An additional analysis of the use of coping strategies among Slovenian adults showed that people used one of three combinations of individual strategies during the epidemic: (1) persons with a committed coping style more often used active coping, planning, acceptance and positive reinterpretation, and this combination of strategies was associated with the most favorable mental health; (2) people with an avoidant coping style mainly used strategies that enable individuals to avoid stressful situations – alcohol and drug use, feelings of guilt, humor – and they reported the least favorable subjective well-being; (3) people with a disengaged coping style generally used diverse coping strategies to the smallest extent, which was associated with the highest level of stress, depression and anxiety.

Literature:

Antecedentes of work and home performance and engagement during COVID-19 (ENG)

Measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 have brought about major changes in employees’ work-life balance. A high percentage of work organizations have switched to home-based telework and educational institutions have closed. In the context of these changes, two diary surveys (N₁=128; N₂=138) were conducted to examine the antecedents of work and family engagement and productivity during 5 weekdays. The results of both diary studies revealed that work-home boundary violations are associated with satisfaction with investment in both home and work domains. The second diary study further revealed that when working from home, employees are faced with work- and home-related unfinished tasks. Such unfinished tasks further contribute to dissatisfaction with investment in both work and private life. The two studies further examined the role of gender and parenthood and found that women with children found it most difficult to manage work-home boundaries in the context of working from home, while men with children found it easiest to manage their work-home boundaries.

The role of job/income loss during a pandemic in the subjective well-being of young people

in an empirical study, the authors presented the direct and indirect effects of the loss of employment and financial income due to the pandemic on the subjective financial well-being (current and perceived financial well-being in the future) and on the psychological well-being of young people at the transition to adulthood in six countries (Italy, China, Lithuania, Portugal , Slovenia and the USA). The negative effects of loss of employment and/or income on all three indicators of well-being were mediated through self-perceived negative limitations during lockdown, but only psychological well-being was not directly predicted by loss of employment and/or income. Regardless of the supported pathway model, compared to young people in the other five countries, Slovenian participants reported the highest levels of all three considered indicators of well-being.

Li, L., Serido, J., Vosylis, R., Sorgente, A., Lep, Ž., Zhang, Y., Fonseca, G., Crespo, C., Relvas, A. P., Zupančič, M. in Lanz, M. (2023). Employment disruption and wellbeing among young adults: A cross-national study of perceived impact of the COVID-19 lockdown. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14, 991–1012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-023-00629-3 [COBISS.SI-ID 142256131]

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-023-00629-3