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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1473005
This article is part of the Research Topic The Intersection of Psychology, Healthy Behaviors, and its Outcomes View all 14 articles

Influence of Social Support and Coping Strategies on Psychological Stress Among Frontline Medical Personnel During the Yangbi Earthquake: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Provisionally accepted
Jiafeng Li Jiafeng Li 1Jing Ye Jing Ye 2Xiaolan Yang Xiaolan Yang 1Huan Sun Huan Sun 3Hui Yan Hui Yan 4Yiwen Yuan Yiwen Yuan 5Yang Peng Yang Peng 6Xiangdong Tang Xiangdong Tang 1,7,8*
  • 1 Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 2 Sleep Medicine Center, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
  • 3 Department of Psychiatry, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 4 Emergency Office, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 5 Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 6 President’s Office, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 7 Sleep Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 8 Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the psychological stress experienced by frontline medical staff during the Yangbi Earthquake and to understand how coping strategies and social support influence stress responses.Methods: From days 3 to 14 post-earthquake, online questionnaires were administered to frontline medical staff to assess perceived social support, coping strategies, and psychological stress responses using the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), TraitCoping Strategies Questionnaire (TCSQ), and Stress Response Questionnaire (SRQ).Data analysis included correlation analysis to explore relationships between variables, multiple linear regression to identify key predictors of stress, and path analysis to determine direct and indirect effects.Results: A total of 253 valid questionnaires were analyzed, with a participant composition of 81.82% females and 18.18% males, and the majority being nurses (62.06%). Psychological stress responses varied by gender and age, with females and older age groups showing higher physical stress responses (P < 0.05). Correlation and regression analyses indicated that negative coping and lower levels of social support were associated with increased stress responses (P < 0.05). Path analysis revealed that intra-family and extra-family support influenced stress responses directly and indirectly through coping strategies (P < 0.05).This study suggests that perceived social support directly influences stress responses in frontline medical personnel during disasters, with coping strategies mediating this effect. Future research should explore these dynamics over time through longitudinal studies.

    Keywords: earthquake, Frontline medical staff, psychological stress, coping strategies, social support

    Received: 12 Aug 2024; Accepted: 09 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Li, Ye, Yang, Sun, Yan, Yuan, Peng and Tang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Xiangdong Tang, Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

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