Emotions and Coping: “What I Feel about It, Gives Me More Strategies to Deal with It?”

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper titled ‘Emotions and Coping: "What I feel about it, gives me more strategies to deal it?"’ investigates emotional responses and coping strategies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on their intricate relationship. Although lacking critical front matter details (such as author names and affiliations), the study undertakes a multidimensional analysis of emotions through an exploratory factor analysis (EFA).

The research sample includes 598 participants, exploring a diverse demographic ranging in age, marital status, and employment situations. Utilizing validated scales, the study measures emotional states and resilient coping using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) and a 25-item Emotional and Affective States (EAS) questionnaire. Through exploratory factor analysis, four distinct emotional dimensions emerge: Negative, Moral, Positive, and Active. These dimensions encompass various emotions, from fear and insecurity to pride and determination, providing a nuanced understanding of emotional experiences during the pandemic. Correlation and regression analyses reveal intriguing connections between these emotional dimensions and resilient coping. Negative and moral dimensions show negative correlations with coping, indicating that emotions like fear, shame, and contempt might hinder adaptive coping mechanisms. Conversely, the positive and active dimensions display positive correlations with resilient coping, highlighting the importance of emotions like enthusiasm and determination in fostering adaptive responses.

Despite methodological limitations (e.g., cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported measures), the study offers valuable insights into emotional experiences and coping strategies during challenging circumstances. The findings underscore the significance of understanding diverse emotional dimensions and their impacts on coping mechanisms, advocating for the cultivation of adaptive emotional regulation strategies to bolster resilience during crises.

In general, I think the idea of this research article may be of interest to the readers of Psych. However, some comments, as well as some crucial evidence that should be included to support the authors’ argumentation, needed to be addressed to improve the quality of the manuscript, its adequacy, and its readability prior to the publication in the present form. My overall judgment is to publish this research article after the authors have carefully considered my suggestions below, in particular reshaping parts of the Introduction and Methods sections by adding more evidence.

Please consider the following comments:

• I'd recommend ensuring that all required front matter elements are added to align the manuscript with the Journal's guidelines and to enhance its readability and academic integrity (i.e., Author list, Affiliations, Keywords).

• A graphical abstract is highly recommended.

• Abstract: According to the Journal’s guidelines, the abstract should be a total of about 200 words maximum. Please correct the actual one. 

• In general, I recommend authors to use more evidence to back their claims, especially in the Introduction of the paper, which I believe is currently lacking. Thus, I recommend the authors to attempt to deepen the subject of their manuscript, as the bibliography is too concise: nonetheless, in my opinion, less than 50 articles for a research article are insufficient. I suggest the authors to focus their efforts on researching more relevant literature: I believe that adding more studies and reviews will help them to provide better and more accurate background to this study.

• While the introduction outlines the importance of emotions during traumatic events and briefly mentions coping strategies, a clearer delineation of the specific objectives or gaps in the literature that the study aims to address could strengthen the introduction. For instance, explicitly stating that the study intends to bridge the gap by exploring the relationship between diverse emotional dimensions and resilient coping during the pandemic might sharpen the focus. Additionally, I would suggest streamlining the descriptions of prior studies and theories could help maintain the reader's engagement and focus on the core objectives of the current research. In this regard, to further enhance the theoretical framework, I recommend integrating a brief discussion on neural substrates associated with emotional regulation and resilience. This addition could elucidate the underlying physiological mechanisms contributing to emotional experiences and their potential impact on coping strategies. Specifically, exploring the neural substrates involved in emotional processing, such as the amygdala for fear responses or the prefrontal cortex for cognitive regulation, could enrich the understanding of how individuals navigate and regulate their emotions during traumatic events like the pandemic [1-4]. Additionally, linking these neural mechanisms to coping strategies, such as adaptive versus maladaptive emotional regulation, could provide valuable insights into the interplay between neural processes and behavioral outcomes.

• The paper acknowledges its limitations, such as the cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported measures. Addressing these limitations explicitly in the methodology section and discussing their potential impact on the findings would strengthen the paper.

• While the paper delves into a thorough discussion of the emotional dimensions, there's room to improve clarity in the presentation of findings. It might benefit from concise subheadings or a clearer structure within the Results and Discussion sections to help readers navigate through the extensive information.

• Given the limitations of a cross-sectional design, emphasizing the observational nature of the study and the need for further longitudinal research to establish causality between emotional dimensions and coping strategies would be beneficial.

• Suggestion for future research: Highlighting potential directions for future research, such as longitudinal studies or comparative analyses across different demographics or cultures, could add depth to the conclusions drawn.

Overall, this paper presents a commendable effort in understanding the complex interplay between emotional responses and coping mechanisms during a crisis. By addressing methodological considerations and emphasizing the study's observational nature, it can provide a robust foundation for future investigations into emotional resilience during pandemics. 

I hope that, after these careful revisions, the manuscript can meet the Journal’s high standards for publication. I am available for a new round of revision of this article. 

I declare no conflict of interest regarding this manuscript. 

Best regards,

Reviewer

References:

1. DOI: 10.3390/ijms242115739

2. https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.13602

3. DOI: 10.1007/s00702-022-02513-5

4. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9070783

Moderate editing of English language required. 

Author Response

Reviewer 1

Thank you very much for taking the time to review our manuscript. Find the detailed answers below and the corresponding revisions/corrections highlighted in the documents that follow. Corrections and changes to the document are in red.

Report

General Comment:

The paper titled ‘Emotions and Coping: "What I feel about it, gives me more strategies to deal it?"’ investigates emotional responses and coping strategies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on their intricate relationship. Although lacking critical front matter details (such as author names and affiliations), the study undertakes a multidimensional analysis of emotions through an exploratory factor analysis (EFA).

The research sample includes 598 participants, exploring a diverse demographic ranging in age, marital status, and employment situations. Utilizing validated scales, the study measures emotional states and resilient coping using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) and a 25-item Emotional and Affective States (EAS) questionnaire. Through exploratory factor analysis, four distinct emotional dimensions emerge: Negative, Moral, Positive, and Active. These dimensions encompass various emotions, from fear and insecurity to pride and determination, providing a nuanced understanding of emotional experiences during the pandemic. Correlation and regression analyses reveal intriguing connections between these emotional dimensions and resilient coping. Negative and moral dimensions show negative correlations with coping, indicating that emotions like fear, shame, and contempt might hinder adaptive coping mechanisms. Conversely, the positive and active dimensions display positive correlations with resilient coping, highlighting the importance of emotions like enthusiasm and determination in fostering adaptive responses.

Despite methodological limitations (e.g., cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported measures), the study offers valuable insights into emotional experiences and coping strategies during challenging circumstances. The findings underscore the significance of understanding diverse emotional dimensions and their impacts on coping mechanisms, advocating for the cultivation of adaptive emotional regulation strategies to bolster resilience during crises.

In general, I think the idea of this research article may be of interest to the readers of Psych. However, some comments, as well as some crucial evidence that should be included to support the authors’ argumentation, needed to be addressed to improve the quality of the manuscript, its adequacy, and its readability prior to the publication in the present form. My overall judgment is to publish this research article after the authors have carefully considered my suggestions below, in particular reshaping parts of the Introduction and Methods sections by adding more evidence.

General Comment Answer: Thank you very much for your valuable comments. We are very grateful for all the contributions given.

Please consider the following comments:

Comment 1

• I'd recommend ensuring that all required front matter elements are added to align the manuscript with the Journal's guidelines and to enhance its readability and academic integrity (i.e., Author list, Affiliations, Keywords).

Answer 1: Thank you very much. …

Keywords

CdS: Emotions; Affect; Coping; Adaptation; Mental Health; facial expressions; social prescribing; emotional climate; wellbeing; 

HV: Emotions, Patients’ satisfaction,  Coping, Service quality, Factor analysis, Reliability, Individual Expectations, Individual perceptions, Health services

JV: coping; resilient coping; positive affects; negative affects; personal resources; reliability; factor analysis; adaptability; mental health.

JM: Emotions; wellbeing; healthy ageing; coping; social prescribing; basic medical research; burnout; Rare Diseases.

HJ: Sense of Humor, Communication; Quality of life; Emotions; Adaptation; Coping Skills; Health Vulnerability; Aged; Chronic Disease; Caregivers

IR: Intensive Care; Education; Emotions; Adaptation; Coping Skills; Health Vulnerability; ; Aged; Chronic Disease; Caregivers

AA: Intensive Care; Emotions; Adaptation; Coping Skills; Health Vulnerability; Aged; Chronic Disease

SV: Emotions; Adaptation; Coping Skills; Health Vulnerability; Quality of life; Aged; Caregivers

MJS: Ethical Issues; Palliative Care; Emotions; Adaptation; Coping Skills; Health Vulnerability; ; Aged; Chronic Disease; Grief and loss

SS: Sense of Humor; Quality of life; Emotions; Adaptation; Coping Skills; Health Vulnerability; Rehabilitation; Aged; Chronic Disease; Caregivers

LS: Sense of Humor; Quality of life; Emotions; Adaptation; Coping Skills; Health Vulnerability; Rehabilitation; Aged; Chronic Disease¸ Caregivers

Comment 2

• A graphical abstract is highly recommended.

Answer 2: Thank you very much.

Comment 3

• Abstract: According to the Journal’s guidelines, the abstract should be a total of about 200 words maximum. Please correct the actual one. 

Answer3: Thank you very much for your suggestion. We corrected and the actual version has 199 words.

Comment 4

• In general, I recommend authors to use more evidence to back their claims, especially in the Introduction of the paper, which I believe is currently lacking. Thus, I recommend the authors to attempt to deepen the subject of their manuscript, as the bibliography is too concise: nonetheless, in my opinion, less than 50 articles for a research article are insufficient. I suggest the authors to focus their efforts on researching more relevant literature: I believe that adding more studies and reviews will help them to provide better and more accurate background to this study.

Answer 4: Thank you very much for your valuable suggestions. We added more studies and articles to present more relevant literature in order to present a more accurate background to our study.

Comment 5

• While the introduction outlines the importance of emotions during traumatic events and briefly mentions coping strategies, a clearer delineation of the specific objectives or gaps in the literature that the study aims to address could strengthen the introduction. For instance, explicitly stating that the study intends to bridge the gap by exploring the relationship between diverse emotional dimensions and resilient coping during the pandemic might sharpen the focus.

Answer 5: Thank you very much for your valuable suggestion. In accordance, we tried to emphasize the gap in the literature review, clearly stating that the study intends to bridge that gap by exploring the relationship between diverse emotional dimensions and resilient coping during pandemics.

Comment 6

 Additionally, I would suggest streamlining the descriptions of prior studies and theories could help maintain the reader's engagement and focus on the core objectives of the current research. In this regard, to further enhance the theoretical framework, I recommend integrating a brief discussion on neural substrates associated with emotional regulation and resilience. This addition could elucidate the underlying physiological mechanisms contributing to emotional experiences and their potential impact on coping strategies. Specifically, exploring the neural substrates involved in emotional processing, such as the amygdala for fear responses or the prefrontal cortex for cognitive regulation, could enrich the understanding of how individuals navigate and regulate their emotions during traumatic events like the pandemic [1-4]. Additionally, linking these neural mechanisms to coping strategies, such as adaptive versus maladaptive emotional regulation, could provide valuable insights into the interplay between neural processes and behavioral outcomes.

Answer 6: Thank you very much for your valuable suggestion. We agree that neural substrates associated with emotional regulation and resilience is an interesting perspective. Therefore, we integrated a discussion about this relevant issue in a multifactorial perspective.

We also briefly discuss vulnerability factors to emotional negative emotional experiences, as individual differences, personality traits (a recommendation made by the other reviewer) and social factors.

We also linked these neural mechanisms to coping strategies, such as adaptive versus maladaptive emotional regulation in the discussion.

Comment 7

• The paper acknowledges its limitations, such as the cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported measures. Addressing these limitations explicitly in the methodology section and discussing their potential impact on the findings would strengthen the paper.

Answer 7: Thank you very much.

We added this text in the procedure:

In the procedure of data collection, the use of a cross-sectional design will not allow us to establish a causal relationship between variables, however it allowed us to cover a wider range of participants, considering sociodemographic characteristics. For instance, our range of ages is from 18 to 90, so the emotional experiences reported are more diverse and could enrich our observational study. To base our data collection in self-reported measures is a limitation, because people in this type of measurements tend to answer according to social desirability. However, in the emotional experiences, the categorization (social or not) of the type of the emotions that were felt is also a valuable point of departure to work adaptative coping strategies (e.g. reappraisal) since cognition is important for emotional experiences and regulation.

Comment 8

• While the paper delves into a thorough discussion of the emotional dimensions, there's room to improve clarity in the presentation of findings. It might benefit from concise subheadings or a clearer structure within the Results and Discussion sections to help readers navigate through the extensive information.

Answer 8: Thank you very much for your suggestions

We included two subheadings in the discussion: Multidimensional structure; Relation between dimensions and resilient coping. We also present more literature in the discussion.

Comment 9

• Given the limitations of a cross-sectional design, emphasizing the observational nature of the study and the need for further longitudinal research to establish causality between emotional dimensions and coping strategies would be beneficial.

Answer 9: Thank you very much.

We made this statement in the methodology section “Our study is observational and intended to collect data about emotions, affective states and resilient coping relatively to the COVID-19 pandemic”

We also emphasized the observational nature of the study in the limitations section and added a new title – Limitations and Future Directions

We also emphasized the need for longitudinal studies to establish causality between emotional dimensions and coping strategies.

Comment 10

• Suggestion for future research: Highlighting potential directions for future research, such as longitudinal studies or comparative analyses across different demographics or cultures, could add depth to the conclusions drawn.

Answer 10: Thank you very much for your valuable suggestions.

We added your suggestions in the new title Future Directions: longitudinal studies; comparative analysis across different demographics or cultures and present an example for cultural differences.

Comment 11

Overall, this paper presents a commendable effort in understanding the complex interplay between emotional responses and coping mechanisms during a crisis. By addressing methodological considerations and emphasizing the study's observational nature, it can provide a robust foundation for future investigations into emotional resilience during pandemics. 

I hope that, after these careful revisions, the manuscript can meet the Journal’s high standards for publication. I am available for a new round of revision of this article. 

I declare no conflict of interest regarding this manuscript. 

Answer 11: Thank you very much for your careful comments.

References:

1. DOI: 10.3390/ijms242115739
2. https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.13602
3. DOI: 10.1007/s00702-022-02513-5
4. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9070783

Answer: Thank you very much for your valuable suggestions.

The references were included in the introduction and also mentioned in the discussion.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear Authors,

congratulate you on a satisfactory article.

It is substantively, methodically and pragmatically supported.

The entries in the tables in the first columns remain to be improved.

It is he who determines the order of data presentation.

In Table 1, the numerical order should be adopted; in the others, the alphabetical order.

In the discussion on negative emotions, I suggest still referring to neuroticism.

Consider referring to: https://doi.org/10.3390/sports11100194

Author Response

Reviewer 2

Thank you very much for taking the time to review our manuscript. Find the detailed answers below and the corresponding revisions/corrections highlighted in the documents that follow. Corrections and changes to the document are in red.

Report

General Comment:

Dear Authors,

congratulate you on a satisfactory article.

It is substantively, methodically and pragmatically supported.

Answer General Comment: Thank you very much for your valuable comments.

Comment 1

The entries in the tables in the first columns remain to be improved.

It is he who determines the order of data presentation.

In Table 1, the numerical order should be adopted; in the others, the alphabetical order.

Answer 1: Thank you very much for your suggestion.

According to your suggestion, we present the data in table 1 by numerical order of the items included in each factor and also added a numeric identification when we describe them in the measure section - Emotions and Affective States. Therefore, we also added the number of the item excluded (item 19 – surprise).

In the other tables, alphabetic order is followed to present the data, as suggested.

Comment 2

In the discussion on negative emotions, I suggest still referring to neuroticism.

Consider referring to: https://doi.org/10.3390/sports11100194

Answer 2: Thank you very much for your suggestion.

According to your valuable suggestion, we include two articles in the discussion about neuroticism, and also mentioned this topic in the introduction as vulnerability factors to negative emotional experiences.

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear Authors,

I am pleased to acknowledge that you have indeed addressed all of my concerns and queries in a clear and precise manner. Your responses have provided valuable insights into the modifications made to the manuscript in light of my comments. It is evident that you have taken great care to ensure that the revised manuscript aligns more closely with the scientific rigor expected for publication in Psych. Having reviewed the revised manuscript, I am satisfied with the changes that have been implemented.

In light of the above, I am pleased to recommend acceptance of your manuscript for publication in Psych.

Best regards,

Reviewer