Coping Styles and Depression in Working Mothers During Covid-19

Background: The pandemic of Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) has exposed working mothers to a disproportionate amount of stress. The present study aimed to examine the coping strategies associated with depression in this group during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Methods: The cross-sectional sample consisted of 192 working mothers from the United States (76% married, 70.3% white, mean age=33.4 years). The participants were recruited through a Qualtrics panel in April 2020 and completed the questionnaires of the Brief-COPE and the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) online. The results from t-tests, ANOVAs, Pearson correlations, and hierarchical linear regression analyses were examined. Results: The coping styles of self-distraction (r=0.17, P=0.02), denial (r=0.32, p <0.001), substance abuse (r=0.39, p <0.001), instrumental support (r=0.22, P=0.002), behavioral disengagement (r=0.464, p <0.001), venting (r=0.44, p <0.001), planning (r=0.22, P=002), humor (r=0.26, p <0.001), and self-blame (r=0.57, p <0.001) were found to be significantly correlated with depression. The hierarchical linear regression revealed the followings: venting (B=0.561 and P=0.033) and self-blame (B=1.212 and p <0.001). Conclusion: These results, coupled with the elevated prevalence of depression in the sample, highlighted the importance of considering coping strategies when evaluating the depression-related risk factors in working mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic.