coping styles and depression in working mothers during covid-19

Background: the pandemic of coronavirus-2019 (covid-19) has exposed working mothers to a disproportionate amount of stress. the present study aimed to examine the coping strategies associated with depression in this group during the early months of the covid-19 pandemic in the united states. methods: the cross-sectional sample consisted of 192 working mothers from the united states (76% married, 70.3% white, mean age=33.4 years). the participants were recruited through a qualtrics panel in april 2020 and completed the questionnaires of the brief-cope and the patient health questionnaire-8 (phq-8) online. the results from t-tests, anovas, pearson correlations, and hierarchical linear regression analyses were examined. results: the coping styles of self-distraction (r=0.17, p=0.02), denial (r=0.32, p<0.001), substance abuse (r=0.39, p<0.001), instrumental support (r=0.22, p=0.002), behavioral disengagement (r=0.464, p<0.001), venting (r=0.44, p<0.001), planning (r=0.22, p=002), humor (r=0.26, p<0.001), and self-blame (r=0.57, p<0.001) were found to be significantly correlated with depression. the hierarchical linear regression revealed the followings: venting (b=0.561 and p=0.033) and self-blame (b=1.212 and p<0.001). conclusion: these results, coupled with the elevated prevalence of depression in the sample, highlighted the importance of considering coping strategies when evaluating the depression-related risk factors in working mothers during the covid-19 pandemic.