Coping strategies for negative emotion among individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-regression study

The main purpose of this study is to comprehensively and systematically reveal the relationship between levels of negative affect (stress, fear, anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions) and coping strategies among individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by using meta-analysis and meta-regression methods. Through the coding form prepared for this purpose, studies suitable for inclusion in the analysis were screened, and 34 studies were included. It is known that there is a large number of studies investigating the psychological crisis experienced by individuals as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, these studies contain quite different results due to the presence of multiple variables. Because of these differences, it is not possible to make a general interpretation or determine which coping strategies are more effective. Synthesizing all studies through meta-analysis and meta-regression to obtain more accurate and generalizable information demonstrates the significance of this research. Since high heterogeneity was found among the included studies, the Random Effects Model was used in the analyses. To test for publication bias in the study sample, a detailed analysis was aimed at applying funnel plot, Egger's linear regression test, Begg test, and Fail-Safe N test. The JASP software program was used for data analysis. According to the analysis results, the use of problem-focused coping strategies is significantly associated with negative affect and reduces negative affect to a certain extent, indicating that individuals approach daily problems with active solutions. The effectiveness of emotion-focused coping strategies may vary based on individual differences. Methods such as seeking social support and reappraising emotional expressions may have protective effects in some cases, whereas strategies such as excessive emotional involvement and passive emotional responses may increase negative affect. A positive relationship was found between avoidant coping and negative affect, meaning that avoidant behaviors are associated with a significant increase in negative affect levels. The analysis results showed that variables such as participant type, research type, direction of effect, year of data collection, and publication type were statistically significantly associated with the effect sizes of the relationship between coping strategies and negative affect. The meta-analysis and meta-regression conducted in this study provide an overall evaluation of research worldwide and in Türkiye on the COVID-19 pandemic, negative affect, and coping strategies, and identify which strategies are more effective.