Coping during COVID-19: The Impact of Cognitive Appraisal on Problem Orientation, Coping Behaviors, Body Image, and Perceptions of Eating Behaviors and Physical Activity during the Pandemic

Elisha Starick, Vanessa Montemarano and Stephanie E. Cassin
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Elisha Starick: Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Vanessa Montemarano: Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Stephanie E. Cassin: Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-11

Abstract: Large surveys indicate that many people perceive that their health behaviors (i.e., eating behaviors, physical activity, and self-care routines) and body image have changed during COVID-19; however, large individual variation exists. A person’s cognitive appraisal of COVID-19 disruptions may help account for individual differences. Those with a negative problem orientation perceive problems as “threats”, whereas those with a positive problem orientation reframe problems as “opportunities”. The present experimental study examined the impact of appraisals, specifically being prompted to reflect on the changes in health routines precipitated by COVID-19 restrictions as either “threats” or “opportunities”, on problem orientation, coping behaviours, body image, and perceptions of eating behaviors and physical activity in a sample of female undergraduate students ( N = 363). The group that reflected on challenges/barriers reported having a more negative problem orientation, being more negatively impacted by COVID-19, engaging in more maladaptive coping behaviors, and having less positive body image compared to participants who reflected on opportunities presented during the pandemic. Findings suggest that appraisals and problem orientation are malleable, and that people who tend to fixate on the challenges associated with COVID-19 may benefit from strategically reflecting on their own resilience and new opportunities that have arisen for engaging in health behaviors.

Keywords: COVID-19; body image; eating behaviors; physical activity; coping; cognitive appraisal; problem orientation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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