Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess healthcare professions (HCP) students’ coping behaviors during COVID-19. Data were collected from 341 pharmacy, medical, and nursing students from schools in California, Florida, and North Carolina, U.S. during May-June 2020 via an online questionnaire using the Brief COPE scale to assess coping behaviors in HCP students. COPE is a validated 28-item scale with scores ranging from 1 to 4, with higher scores indicating greater use of coping strategies. The mean age of the participants was 27.1 years (range 19-58 years; SD = 5.188). Almost half of the participants were in their clinical training. Most of the participants reported living with either a spouse/partner, or with family or friends; about 20% (n=65) reported living alone. One third (n=106; 34.2%) were men, 204 were women (65.8%). Among participants, use of alcohol/substances and religion/spirituality to cope with the pandemic was low. Reports of self-criticism and self-blame for their circumstances were mixed. Participants reported various activities used for coping during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings suggest a need to further understand the role and impact of coping behaviors that are specific to HCP students in times of crisis.