Studying of Covid-19 Anxiety Based on Coping Strategies and Emotion Regulation in Sailors

The spread of corona virus and its psychological consequences is one of the most important human social events in the 21 century. Sailors are vulnerable to the virus and they have severe psychological consequences. Therefore, the aim of this study was to predict Covid-19 anxiety based on coping strategies and emotion regulation in Iranian sailors.

The present research is a descriptive cross-sectional correlation study. The statistical population of the present study includes all Iranian sailors in 2020-2021, whose total number was estimated to be over 500 people. According to Cochran’s table, 150 people were selected by available sampling method from sailors in Nowshahr city of Mazandaran province. Moreover, Lazarus and Folkman coping strategies questionnaires, John and Gross (2003) Emotion Regulation and Corona Virus Anxiety Scale in Cyberspace has been responded by those seafarers who were willing to cooperate in the study.

Out of 150 male sailors participating in the study, their age range was from 25 to 54 years and their mean and standard deviation was 38.79 ± 7.738. Among the components of coping strategies, problem-oriented and emotion-oriented coping strategies were achieved with mean and standard deviation of 52.26 ± 3.12 and 68.55 ± 3.47 respectively, emotion regulation components including emotional repression and emotional re-evaluation were achieved with mean and standard deviation of 23.43 ± 5.64 and 19.45 ± 4.22 respectively. In addition, components of corona virus anxiety including psychological and physical symptoms were obtained with mean and standard deviation of 32.67 ± 5.47 and 17.39 ± 2.89 respectively. The results also showed that the regression model used was significant (F = 14.39) and this model with a coefficient of determination of 0.32 had the ability to explain the relationship between variables. Multiple correlation between variables was 0.41 (R = 0.41) (P <0.05).

According to the research findings, it can be said that coping strategies and emotion regulation are effective factors related to corona virus anxiety, which can be considered in maritime centers and sailors.