Osman Nejat AKFIRAT, Fevziye DOLUNAY CUĞ, Yıldız ÖZTAN ULUSOY

Examination of Psychological Counseling and Guidance Program Students’ Psychological Resilience, Life Orientation, and Coping Resources during the COVID 19 Pandemic

In this study, the coping sources with the levels of optimism and psychological resilience during the COVID 19 pandemic were examined. A descriptive survey model was used. Online information collection tools were sent to all students (320 undergraduate and master’s students) enrolled in the Psychological Counselling and Guidance (PCG) program. The data obtained with the tools from both surveys answered by 196 participants were analyzed using the SPSS 17 program. Personal information form, the Brief Psychological Resilience Scale, and Life Orientation Scale were used. The results revealed that students' levels of resilience and optimism were high, their levels of optimism predicted their resilience, and they saw themselves as sufficient to cope with difficulties during the COVID 19 pandemic period. It can be said that positive character traits such as optimism and resilience protect people from the negative feelings caused by the COVID 19 pandemic. Implications for future research and practice were discussed.

Keywords:

Resilience Coping, COVID 19, University Students,

PDF

___

Aker S., & Mıdık, O. (2020). The views of medical faculty students in Turkey concerning the covid-19 pandemic. J Community Health, 45(4), 684–688. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-020-00841-9
Alnıacık, E., Of, M., Balkas, J., Tulemez, S., Mirzayev, M., & Alfarra, H. (2021). The effects of university students’ psychological resilience and hopelessness on career future perceptions during the pandemic process. Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 9(1), 248-266. https://doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v9i1.1757
Askın, R., Bozkurt, Y., & Zeybek, Z. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic: Psychological effects and therapeutic interventions. İstanbul Ticaret Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 19(37), 304–318.
Aydin, G., & Tezer, E. (1991). İyimserlik, sağlık sorunları ve akademik başarı ilişkisi [The relationship between optimism, health problems and academic achievement]. Psikoloji Dergisi, 7(26), 2-9.
Baloran, E.T. (2020). Knowledge, attitudes, anxiety, and coping strategies of students during covid-19 pandemic. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 25(8), 635-642.https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2020.1769300
Beddoe, L., Davys, A., & Adamson, C. (2013). Educating resilient practitioners. Social Work Education, 32(1),100-117. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2011.644532
Benson, H. P. (2007). Children’s dispositional optimism and pessimism: Social and emotional outcomes. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Seattle Pacific University.
Bovier, P.A., Chamot, E., & Perneger, T.V. (2004). Perceived stress, internal resources, and social support determinants of mental health among young adults. Quality of Life Research, 13, 161-170. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:QURE.0000015288.43768.e4
Breslau, N., Koenen, K., Luo, Z., Agnew-Blais, J., Swanson, S., Houts, R., . . . Moffitt, T. (2014). Childhood maltreatment, juvenile disorders and adult post-traumatic stress disorder: A prospective investigation. Psychological Medicine, 44(9), 1937-1945. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291
Burns, D., Dagnall, N., & Holt, M. (2020). Assessing the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on student wellbeing at universities in the United Kingdom: A Conceptual Analysis. Frontiers in Education, 5, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.582882
Büyüköztürk, Ş., Çokluk, Ö. & Köklü, N. (2012). Sosyal bilimler için istatistik. Pegem Akademi.
Çetin, C. & Anuk, Ö. (2020).COVID-19 pandemi sürecinde yalnizlik ve psikolojik dayaniklilik: Bir kamu üniversitesi öğrencileri örneklemi. Avrasya Sosyal ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi, 7(5). 170-189.
Cohen , L.H. (1984). Positive life events and social support and the relationship between life stress and psychological disorder. American Journal of Community Psychology, 12, 567 – 587.
Daco, P.(1989). Çağdaş psikolojinin olağan üstün başarıları [The extraordinary achievements of contemporary psychology]. (Çev. O.A. Gürün). İstanbul: İnkılap Kitabevi.
Dhar, B.K., Ayittey, F.K., & Sarkar, S.M. (2020). Impact of covid‐19 on psychology among the university students. Global Challenges, 4(11):2000038. https://doi.org/10.1002/gch2.202000038
Dogan, T. (2015). Adaptation of the brief resilience scale into Turkish: A validity and reliability study. The Journal of Happiness & Well-Being, 3(1), 93–102. Dusmez, I., & Yaycı, L. (2016). A study of the personality traits of the psychological counseling and guidance students and their stress management strategies. OPUS Uluslararası Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, 5(9), 61-84 .
Edwards, K.J., Hershberger, P.J., Russell, R.K., & Markert, R.J. (2001). Stress, negative social exchange, and health symptoms in university students. Journal of American College Health, 50, 75-79. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448480109596010.
Eyni, S., Ebadi, M., & Torabi, N. (2020). Developing a model of corona anxiety in students based on optimism and resilience: The mediating role of the perceived social support. Culture of Counseling Quarterly and Psychotherapy, 11(43), 1-32. https://doi.org/10.22054/qccpc.2020.51656.2376.
Germani, A., Buratta, L., Delvecchio, E., & Mazzeschi, C. (2020). Emerging adults and covid-19: the role of ındividualism-collectivism on perceived risks and psychological maladjustment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (10), 3497-3512. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103497.
Holt-Lunstad, J. (2017). The potential public health relevance of social ısolation and loneliness: Prevalence, epidemiology, and risk factors. Public Policy & Aging Report, 27(4), 127–130. https://doi.org/10.1093/ppar/prx030.
Jakovljevic, M. (2018). Empathy, sense of coherence and resilience: Bridging personal, public and global mental health and conceptual synthesis. Psychiatria Danubina, 30 (4), 380-384. https://doi.org/10.24869/psyd.2018.380.
Jin, W., & Li, Y. (2021). Common effects and strategies about university students coping wıth COVID-19 pandemic. [Unpublished Bachelor of Health Care Thesis]. Centria University.
Kadiroğlu, T., Guducu-Tufekci, F. & Kara, A. (2021). Determining the Religious Coping Styles of Adolescents in Turkey During COVID-19. Journal of Religion and Health, 60, 3406–3417. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01410-7.
Kamaludin, K., Chinna, K., Sundarasen, S, Khoshaim, H.B., Nurunnabi, M., Baloch, G.M., Sukayt, A.,& Hossain, S.F.A. (2020). Coping with COVID-19 and movement control order (MCO): Experiences of university students in Malaysia. Heliyon, 6(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05339.
Karacaoglu, K.., & Koktas, G. (2016). Psikolojik dayanıklılık ve psikolojik iyi olma ilişkisinde iyimserliğin aracı rolü: Hastane çalışanları üzerine bir araştırma, İş ve İnsan Dergisi, 3 (2), 119-127. https://doi.org/10.18394/iid.20391
Kocak, Z., & Harmancı, H. (2020). Mental health in the family during the COVID-19 pandemic process. Karatay Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 5, 183-207. Lai, A.Y., Lee, L., Wang, M.P., Feng, Y., Lai, T.T., Ho, L.M., Lam, V.S., Ip, M.S., & Lam, T.H. (2020). Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on international university students, related stressors, and coping strategies. Frontiers Psychiatry,11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.584240.
Lazarus, R.S. (1993). Why we should think of stress as a subset of emotion. In L. Goldberger, S. Breznitz, (Eds.), Handbook of stress: Theoretical and clinical aspects (pp. 21–39), Free Press.
Liu, N., Zhang, F., Wei, C., Jia, Y., Shang, Z., Sun, L., Wu, L., Sun, Z., Zhou, Y., Wang, Y., & Liu, W. (2020). Prevalence and predictors of PTSS during COVID-19 outbreak in China hardest-hit areas: Gender differences matter. Psychiatry Research, 287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112921.
Matlin, M.W., & Gawron, V.J. (1979). Individual differences in pollyannaism. Journal of Personality Assessment, 43(4), 411-412. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4304_14.
Ocalan, S., & Uzar-Ozcetin, Y. (2020). Rumination, fatigue and psychological resilience in cancer experience. Current Approaches in Psychiatry,12 (3):421-433. https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.664396.
Ogueji, I. A., Okoloba, M. M., & Demoko Ceccaldi, B. M. (2022). Coping strategies of individuals in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current Psychology, 41(11), 7493-7499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01318-7
Padhy, M., Chelli, K., Padiri, R.A. (2015). Optimism and psychological well-being of police officers with different work experiences. SAGE Open, 4(10). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015580852.
Quintiliani, L., Sisto, A., Vicinanza, F., Curcio, G., & Tambone, V. (2021). Resilience and psychological impact on Italian university students during COVID-19 pandemic. Distance learning and health. Psychogical Health Medicine, 18, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2021.1891266
Salman, M., Asif, N., Mustafa, Z. U., Khan, T. M., Shehzadi, N., Tahir, H., ... & Mallhi, T. H. (2022). Psychological impairment and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic among students in Pakistan: a cross-sectional analysis. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 16(3), 920-926.
Scheier, M.F., Carver, C.S. (1985). Optimism, coping, and health: Assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. Health Psychology, 4, 219-247.
Scheier, M.F., Carver, C.S., & Bridges, M.W. (2001). Optimism, pessimism, and psychological well-being. In E.C. Chang (Ed.), Optimism & pessimism: Implications for theory, research, and practice (pp189-216). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10385-009
Smith, B.W., Dalen, J., Wiggins, K., Tooley, E., Christopher, P., & Bernard, J. (2008). The brief resilience scale: Assessing the ability to bounce back. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 15(3), 194-200. https://10.1080/10705500802222972
Stankovska, G., Memedi, I., & Dimitrovski, D. (2020). Coronavirus COVID-19 disease, mental health and psychosocial support. Society Register, 4(2), 33–48. https://doi.org/10.14746/ sr.2020.4.2.03.
Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y.; Xu, L., Ho, C.S., & Ho, R.C. (2020). Immediate psychological responses and associated factors during the initial stage of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic among the General Population in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,17 (5). https://doi:10.3390/ijerph17051729
Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y., Xu, L., McIntyre, R. S., Choo, F. N., Tran, B., Ho, R., Sharma, V. K., & Ho, C. (2020). A longitudinal study on the mental health of general population during the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 87, 40–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.028.
Wen, F.F., Zhu, J., Ye, H.X., Li, L.Y., Ma, Z., Wen, X.X., & Zuo, B. (2021). Associations between insecurity and stress among Chinese university students: The mediating effects of hope and self-efficacy. Journal of Affective Disorders, 281, 447-453. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.047.
Yorguner, N., Bulut, N.S., & Akvardar, Y. (2021). An analysis of the psychosocial challenges faced by the university students during COVID-19 pandemic, and the students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward the disease. Archive of Neuropsychiatry, 58(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.29399/npa.27503.
Yu, Y., & Luo, J. (2018). Dispositional optimism and well-being in college students: Self-efficacy as a mediator. Social Behavior and Personality: An international Journal, 46 (5), 783–792. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.6746.
Zhang, J., Litvinova, M., Wang, W., et al. (2020). Evolving epidemiology and transmission dynamics of coronavirus disease 2019 outside Hubei province, China: A descriptive and modeling study. Lancet Infectious Diseases, 20(7):793-802. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20):30230-9.