Coping from public health crisis - a systematic descriptive review in Indian context

Background: Globally, studies on psychological impacts of COVID-19 have reported heightened stress, anxiety, sleep disruption, and panic. 45% of US participants reported impacts of COVID-19 on their mental health. There is 20% increase in mental morbidities among Indians according The Indian Psychiatry Society. The aim of this review was to summarize coping strategies adopted by different Indian population groups during COVID-19. Method: Articles published from March 2020 to October 2021 were searched systematically using PubMed database and Google Scholar search engine of which 21 papers were selected for final review. Results: This review reveals that the general population adopted emotion focused coping strategies whereas the healthcare workers have adopted problem focused coping more than emotion focused strategies. Conclusion: These differences could be due to the availability of different coping resources between the groups that may help them to deal with their stress. With such challenging circumstances and limited resources, it is critical to consider group specific approach that can help people maintain their mental health.