Psychological Coping and Resilience among Kashmiri Population during Covid-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that the human response to mass crises or disasters can be varied, ranging from chronic anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress to resilience and recovery. This in turn depends upon different coping strategies used by individuals and various socio-cultural factors of the region. Although a few studies have been done to assess the resilience during Covid-19 pandemic, they are limited to a particular target population and cannot be generalized to different populations of the world. AIMS: This study was planned to assess the various coping strategies used by the people of Kashmir and the level of their resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic. METHODS: It was a cross sectional descriptive study done at three districts of Kashmir (Baramulla, Srinagar, Shopian). Convenient sampling method was used and a total of 310 people were included in the study. Mental illness was ruled out using GHQ-12. Coping strategies were assessed by using Brief COPE and resilience was measured by using Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Data was analyzed using SPSS (23.0 version) software. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample population was 34 years. The most common coping methods used were religion (mean 6.13, SD=1.41), active coping (mean 5.59, SD=1.36) and acceptance (mean 5.56, SD=1.52). The mean resilience score of the study population was 65.87 (SD=13.7) which indicates high resilience level. Resilience had significant positive correlation with active coping,r(308)=.36,p=.001; acceptance,r(308)=.27,p=.001; positive reframing,r(308)=.26,p=.001; planning,r(308)=.23,p=.001 and emotional support,r(308)=.19,p=.001. CONCLUSION: The general Kashmiri population had a high resilience level in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. Religion was the most commonly used coping mechanism. Positive coping mechanisms may lead to increased resilience among people during mass crisis or pandemics.