Table 2.
Descriptions and prevalence of coping strategies in the sample, COVID-19 Coping Study, 2020 (n = 5,180).
| Categories | Description of sub-categories | Frequency | Percent of responses (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attitude and outlook | 835 | 16.1 | |
| Laughter and humor | Seeking out and enjoying laughter and humor | 49 | 0.9 |
| Meditation and breathing | Practicing meditation, mindfulness, and breathing exercises | 339 | 6.5 |
| Relaxing and staying calm | Trying to be relaxed and stay calm | 53 | 1.0 |
| Staying positive and being grateful | Staying positive, being grateful, reframing perspective to positive, accepting the situation | 394 | 7.6 |
| COVID-19 precautions | 980 | 18.9 | |
| Cleaning | Sanitary cleaning: spraying surfaces, disinfecting, wiping down objects | 68 | 1.3 |
| Following public health guidelines | Following COVID-19 guidelines to reduce exposure | 912 | 17.6 |
| Civic engagement | 211 | 4.1 | |
| Helping others and donating | Helping others, donating money, making masks to donate, supporting local businesses | 187 | 3.6 |
| Political engagement and activism | Political engagement, activism, volunteering on campaigns, contacting elected officials | 24 | 0.5 |
| Daily life | 1,294 | 25.0 | |
| Cooking or baking | Cooking or baking food | 94 | 1.8 |
| Got a pet or are taking care of animal | Getting a new pet or taking care of animal(s) | 27 | 0.5 |
| Hobbies | Engaging in hobbies (e.g., writing, arts and crafts, woodworking, puzzles, crochet and knitting, games) | 406 | 7.8 |
| Keeping a routine | Making to-do lists and sticking to a routine (either new, modified, or well-honed) | 234 | 4.5 |
| Listening to audio content | Listening to music, podcasts, radio shows, or audiobooks | 70 | 1.4 |
| Reading | Reading books | 214 | 4.1 |
| Specified keeping busy or occupied | Expressed efforts to keep busy or occupied | 177 | 3.4 |
| Working | Working more, focusing on work, or earning more money | 72 | 1.4 |
| Exercise and the outdoors | 1,349 | 26.0 | |
| Exercise | Exercising (e.g., walking, yoga, biking, golfing, jogging, swimming) | 883 | 17.0 |
| Outdoor activities | Outdoor activities of any type (includes walking dog and going for a drive) | 466 | 9.0 |
| Faith-based practices | 363 | 7.0 | |
| Religious practices | Religious activity (e.g., prayer, reading scripture, watching or participating in faith services) | 363 | 7.0 |
| Food, alcohol, and substances | 190 | 3.7 | |
| Cannabis/marijuana use | Using cannabis/marijuana | 15 | 0.3 |
| Drinking alcohol | Drinking alcohol (e.g., beer, wine, spirits) | 19 | 0.4 |
| Eating more | Eating more food | 7 | 0.1 |
| Ordering food or takeout | Ordering food or takeout meals | 14 | 0.3 |
| Trying to consume responsibly | Try to eat healthier, eat good food, take vitamins, stay hydrated, drink tea, drink less alcohol | 135 | 2.6 |
| Health and wellness | 158 | 3.1 | |
| Getting more or better sleep/rest | Sticking to a sleep schedule, or getting more or better-quality sleep and rest | 62 | 1.2 |
| Seeking health support | Seeking physical and/or mental health professional/s, or support group | 63 | 1.2 |
| Taking medication | Taking medication (CBD, medication, sleep aid, light therapy) | 33 | 0.6 |
| Nothing | 1,112 | 21.5 | |
| None | Not being able to cope or not having to cope | 1,112 | 21.5 |
| Online and media engagement | 577 | 11.1 | |
| Limiting news intake or social media | Limiting news intake or social media | 253 | 4.9 |
| Online activities or computer time | Spending time on the computer or with online activities | 38 | 0.7 |
| Shopping online | Shopping online | 2 | 0.0 |
| Watching or reading the news to stay informed | Watching or reading the news, or staying informed | 165 | 3.2 |
| Watching video content | Watching movies and TV shows (not the news) | 119 | 2.3 |
| Other | 115 | 2.2 | |
| Don't Understand | Do not understand the question | 19 | 0.4 |
| Other | Other (does not fit any categories) | 96 | 1.9 |
| Planning | 44 | 0.8 | |
| Planning for the present or future | Planning for the present and future, care directives, estate planning, vacations | 44 | 0.8 |
| Projects and learning | 265 | 5.1 | |
| Home projects | Doing home projects (e.g., building things, organizing, big spring cleaning) | 143 | 2.8 |
| Learning something new or taking a course | Learning something new, or taking an educational course | 82 | 1.6 |
| Projects (unspecified) | Projects that don't fall in the other categories (unspecified projects, programming projects) | 40 | 0.8 |
| Social connection | 792 | 15.3 | |
| Contacting others | Contacting/reaching out to and communicating with family, friends, spouse, neighbors, and others by phone, text message, or video call | 613 | 11.8 |
| Spending in-person time with others | Spending time in-person with family, friends, spouse, or neighbors; watching grandchildren, or other in-person caregiving | 140 | 2.7 |
| Support groups and recovery programs | AA meetings, 12 Steps program, or other recovery program | 16 | 0.3 |
| Using social media or chat rooms | Posting on social media, or joining chatrooms | 23 | 0.4 |