Examining the impact of COVID-19 on stress and coping strategies in individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: = 12.18). We examined the relationship between perceived stress and coping strategies related to COVID-19, and which COVID-19 coping strategies were associated with well-being after controlling for demographic and psychological characteristics. RESULTS: Correlation analyses demonstrated that perceived stress related to COVID-19 was positively associated with coping strategies including self-distraction, denial, substance use, behavioral disengagement, venting, planning, religion, and self-blame. Further, hierarchical regression results demonstrated that active coping, denial, use of emotional support, humor, religion, and self-blame were associated with participants' well-being after controlling for demographic and psychological characteristics. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: This exploratory study findings suggest that measuring and quantifying COVID-19 related stress and coping strategies in individuals with chronic conditions and disabilities can help clinicians and researchers understand potential effects of COVID-19 among people with chronic conditions and disabilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).