Stress, functioning, and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from an online convenience sample

Abstract

This study explored how individuals were experiencing and responding to stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020. Adults (18 years and older) living in the United States were recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, a crowdsourcing website that is commonly used for online survey administration. Participants (N = 408; 60% non-Hispanic White) completed an online survey regarding traumatic stress, functional impairment, and use and perceived helpfulness of various coping strategies. Results showed that 37% of participants endorsed clinically-elevated symptoms of traumatic stress. As many as 76% of participants reported changes in their daily functioning from before the pandemic to present, most notably in their number of social interactions, physical activity, and time spent working. To cope, participants reported engaging in safety planning and behavioral activation, which they also perceived to be helpful in managing stress. Avoidance coping strategies involving use of alcohol, tobacco products, or recreational substances were infrequently endorsed and perceived to be of relatively little help. These findings offer an initial, data-based glimpse into the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and shed light onto opportunities for promoting mental health and well-being during this unprecedented and multifaceted crisis.