Introduction

Assessment of mental health in medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic helps to prevent the delayed negative consequences of work under high risk.

Objectives

The study compares the perceived stress and coping ability in medical staff caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and in professionals, working with other patients.

Methods

Online survey involved 249 doctors and medical staff of a Moscow hospital aged 19 to 60 (80 men and 169 women). 135 people worked directly with COVID-19 patients and 114 specialists did not. The study was conducted with the Perceived Stress Scale (10-items) amidst the first wave of COVID-19 in Russia, in May 2020.

Results

No significant differences were found in the stress levels between the two groups of healthcare providers. On average, the sample revealed an increased level of stress (15.4 with standard values of 12-13). The general indicator of perceived stress (F = 13.471; p <0.001), stress level (F = 12.333; p = 0.001) and stress resistance (F = 6.003; p = 0.015) in women is significantly higher than in men. In addition, women working with COVID-19 patients have a higher level of stress resistance than women working with other patients (F = 3.432; p = 0.045).

Conclusions

The perception of stress by healthcare staff during the COVID-19 pandemic increases independently on whether or not they work with infected patients. Although stress is higher in women, they are better at coping, especially in extreme situations. The reported study was funded by RFBR, project number 20-04-60174.

Introduction

Ethnolinguistic diversity provides the opportunity to study the relation between the native language, the emotional state, and the well-being of a person. Representatives of different linguistic groups may have psychological advantages in specific socio-cultural situations.

Objectives

We investigated the interrelation between mental well-being, emotional state, life satisfaction, and belonging to different ethnolinguistic categories in the Russian society.

Methods

The measuring instruments included the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (Tennant et al., 2007), the Scale ofPositive and Negative Experience (SPANE) (Diener et al., 2009), the questionary on life satisfaction. The research project included 894 respondents aged from 14 to 80 (M=24.0; SD=11.7), residents of eight regions, where there are one or several official languages along with Russian.

Results

The results indicate that mental well-being (F = 1.167; p = 0.312) is independent of the respondents’ native language, while the ratio of positive and negative affect is significantly higher (F = 3.164; p = 0.008) among people who indicated the regional language as the native one, compared to those who have two native languages - Russian and regional (MD = -1.529; p = 0.039). Moreover, the general life satisfaction is higher (F = 7.427; p = 0.001) among native speakers of the regional language as compared to those who indicate both Russian and regional languages as their native languages (MD = 0.638; p <0.001).

Conclusions

Differences in the emotional state and life satisfaction along with the absence of differences in mental well-being were revealed in respondents of different ethnolinguistic categories.

The reported study was funded by RFBR, project number 17-29-09167.

Introduction

Since the post-Soviet space is distinguished by a wide ethnolinguistic diversity with Russian language being the basis of identity for a significant part of the population, the role of ethnolinguistic identity in psychological well-being needs deep analysis.

Objectives

The study explores the relationship between mental well-being and belonging to different ethnolinguistic categories in Russia and Azerbaijan.

Methods

The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (Tennant et al., 2007) was used as a measuring tool. The study involved 90 students, 45 participants from multilingual regions of Russia and 45 Russian-speaking students from Azerbaijan. Both samples included three categories of subjects: indicating Russian (1); one or more regional languages in the Russian sample or Azerbaijani in the sample from Baku (2); two native languages ​​- Russian and one of regional languages ​or Russian and Azerbaijani (3) - as their native language.

Results

No significant differences were observed in the level of psychological well-being in both Russian (KW = 0.594; p = 0.743) and Azerbaijanian students (KW = 1.535; p = 0.464). However, the level of psychological well-being in Russian students from multilingual regions, who indicate the regional language as their native language, is significantly higher than in Azerbaijani students, whose native language is Russian (U = 55,000; p = 0.045).

Conclusions

The sociocultural context is reflected in mental well-being of the individual, depending on his native language and ethnocultural identity. The reported study was funded by RFBR, project number 17-29-09167.

Introduction

Research into sociocultural mediation of mental health engages the factor of gender differences in the subjective assessment of emotional state.

Objectives

The current study aims to identify the features of the subjective assessment of emotional state in men and women.

Methods

The study involved 210 men and 403 women aged 14 to 76 years (M = 26.9; SD = 13.7) from six regions of the Russian Federation: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Udmurtia, Sakha, Sverdlovsk and Kemerovo. Participants were asked to evaluate their emotional state at the present time, choosing one of the following answers: "excellent", "good", "average", "poor", "very poor".

Results

The same pattern of the answer frequency distribution was established for men and women. "Good" was the most frequent answer (40% in men and 40% in women), followed by "average" (32% and 36%), "excellent" (18% and 12%), "poor" (9% and 11%), and "very poor" (1% and 2%). Statistical analysis on a rank scale with t-test for independent samples showed that the differences in the subjective assessment of emotional state in men and women are significant (t = 2.132; p = 0.033).

Conclusions

Thus, both men and women rarely choose the extreme answers to assess their emotional state. Despite this similarity, there are statistically significant gender differences in the subjective assessments of emotional state: men are more likely to choose the answer "excellent" and use the answers "average", "poor" and "very poor" less frequently. The reported study was funded by the RFBR, project number 17-29-02506.

Introduction

The data on gender differences in mental health make the investigation of the specific impact of the pandemic and of the stay-at-home orders on men and women relevant.

Objectives

The study focuses on the quality of the relationship in couples and mental health in men and women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

The study was conducted through an online survey a few weeks after the pandemic was declared and the stay-at-home order was introduced in Russia. 274 participants (50 men and 224 women) engaged in long-term relationships aged from 18 to 62 (M=34.2; SD=9.1) took part in the research. The instruments included the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, the Perceived Relationship Quality Components, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales.

Results

Women show a considerably higher level of stress (t=3.805; p<0.001), depression (t=3.76; p<0.001) and anxiety(t=2.959; p=0.003). The quality of relationship for women is significantly connected with mental wellbeing(r=0.423; p<0.001) and negatively correlated with the stress level (r= -0.60; p<0.001), depression (r= -0,381; p<0,001) and anxiety (r=-0,313; p<0,001). Meanwhile for men, the quality of the relationship is connected to mental wellbeing (r=0.280; p=0.049), opposed to stress levels (r= -0.316; p=0.025) and is neither connected to depression (r= -0.210; p=0.144) nor to anxiety (r= -0.126; p=0.383).

Conclusions

During the pandemic, a favorable partnership has a positive effect on the mental health of both men and women. However, while the relationship quality affects all investigated indicators of mental health in women, in men the relationship quality is only connected to the level of mental wellbeing and stress.

The reported study was funded by RFBR, project number 20-04-60174.