An international study on psychological coping during COVID-19Eisenbeck, Nikolett (Avtor) Avsec, Andreja (Avtor) Zager Kocjan, Gaja (Avtor) Kavčič, Tina (Avtor) pandemicsepidemicscoronavirusCOVID-19well-beingstresscoping behaviorpsychologymeaningdistressMeaning-centered coping scaleMCCSDepressionanxiety and stress scaleDASS-21Brief coping orientation to problems experiencedBrief COPEPERMA profilerex post facto studyBackground/Objective: This study examined the role of different psychological coping mechanisms in mental and physical health during the initial phases of the COVID-19 crisis with an emphasis on meaning-centered coping. Method: A total of 11,227 people from 30 countries across all continents participated in the study and completed measures of psychological distress (depression, stress, and anxiety), loneliness, well-being, and physical health, together with measures of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping, and a measure called the Meaning-centered Coping Scale (MCCS) that was developed in the present study. Validation analyses of the MCCS were performed in all countries, and data were assessed by multilevel modeling (MLM). Results: The MCCS showed a robust one-factor structure in 30 countries with good test-retest, concurrent and divergent validity results. MLM analyses showed mixed results regarding emotion and problem-focused coping strategies. However, the MCCS was the strongest positive predictor of physical and mental health among all coping strategies, independently of demographic characteristics and country-level variables. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the MCCS is a valid measure to assess meaning-centered coping. The results also call for policies promoting effective coping to mitigate collective suffering during the pandemic.20222021-08-23 12:29:31Članek v reviji129010UDK: 159.944.4:616-036.22ISSN pri članku: 2174-0852DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2021.100256COBISS_ID: 70678531sl