Resilient coping during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study of unemployed and employed people in Nigeria

Abstract

Limited quantitative data exist on resilient coping among the unemployed and employed people during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined resilient coping during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. A cross-sectional research design was utilized via social media. Two hundred and eighty-two participants (age range = 18-62 years) were recruited using a snowball sampling technique. Participants filled out a standardized questionnaire comprising a demographic section and a brief resilient coping scale. Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 25.0. Statistical significance was accepted at p < .05. The employed group scored significantly higher on resilient coping than the unemployed group (t (280) = 4.08, p <.01). Age had no significant effect (F (1,279) = 3.237; p>.05; np2 = .012) on resilient coping. Employment status had a significant effect (F (1,279) = 7.549; p<.01; np2 = .027) on resilient coping. Employment status had a significant effect on resilient coping by 2.7%. However, there was no significant interaction effect of age and employment status on resilient coping (F (1,279) = 3.137; p>.05). Male participants scored significantly higher on resilient coping than female participants (t (274) = 3.15, p <.01). The authors recommend that health professionals such as clinical psychologists and other concerned bodies should provide targeted psychosocial support interventions for the unemployed group and females in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic.