Influence of gender identity on the adoption of religious-spiritual, preventive and emotion-focused coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan
Creators: name: Ahmad, Saeed
name: Jafree, Sara Rizvi
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Cancer
subject: Science Policy

description: Academic research has highlighted the gendered impacts and amplifications of gender disparities of COVID-19. Traditionally, Pakistan is a patriarchal society, where it is a parenthood norm to socialize specific gender social roles. The current research asserts that these normative gender roles may influence individuals throughout their life course, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the present study explored the influence of gender identity in adopting different coping strategies such as religious-spiritual, preventive, emotion-focused and non-constructive coping against the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the lockdown in various areas of Pakistan, data were collected through an online questionnaire using Qualtrics. In a cross-sectional study, 955 respondents completed responses. Factors analysis and reliability analysis were run to ensure the scales’ reliability, validity and robustness for different coping strategies. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to find model fitness. For theoretical explanation, the current study used <i>social role theory</i> that argues that each gender benefits differently from distinct coping behaviours. The findings highlighted that women were more likely to adopt most coping strategies, with the most significant difference in religious-spiritual coping and preventative coping strategies even in the presence of control variables such as level of education, household monthly income, family structure, marital status and family size. There was no gender difference in adopting non-constructive strategies. The empirical evidence suggested that females might be at an increased risk of stress due to the burden of unbalanced household-based social norms and care responsibilities. The current research also expanded the base of coping to religious-spiritual coping, emotion-focused coping and non-constructive coping. In Pakistan, higher adoption of coping strategies among women compared to men (such as religious-spiritual coping, preventative coping, emotion-focused coping, etc.) has raised serious concerns related to increased risk of stress and emotional fatigue among females in the country due to their coping behaviours.More research is needed to develop and support women’s active and productive role within the household to promote public health and positive coping strategies for families. In Pakistan, higher adoption of coping strategies among women compared to men (such as religious-spiritual coping, preventative coping, emotion-focused coping, etc.) has raised serious concerns related to increased risk of stress and emotional fatigue among females in the country due to their coping behaviours. More research is needed to develop and support women’s active and productive role within the household to promote public health and positive coping strategies for families.