Well-being and sleep in stressful times of the COVID-19 pandemic: Relations to worrying and different coping strategies

The present study examined the relationships between emotional well-being (positive and negative affect), sleep-related variables (sleep quality, sleep duration, and change in sleep quality and duration compared to weeks before lockdown), and worrying about coronavirus disease (COVID-19) challenges during the beginning of the outbreak in Europe. In addition, four different coping strategies were investigated. The study was conducted in Germany with data from 665 participants (53.8% female; 18-73 years), who completed an online questionnaire in April 2020. The results revealed that COVID-19 worry was associated with impaired well-being and sleep. Meaning- and problem-focused coping were the most frequently used coping strategies, and showed positive associations with well-being and sleep. Social and avoidance coping were associated with decreased well-being and worse sleep outcomes. Three coping strategies showed moderating effects. People who worried more showed higher levels of positive affect when they used problem-focused coping compared to those who did not. Similarly, highly worried participants showed lower levels of negative affect when they reported using meaning-focused coping more often. In contrast, social coping increased the risk of high negative affect levels in worried participants. In conclusion, problem-focused and meaning-focused coping strategies seemed to be most effective in coping with COVID-19 challenges.