Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Healthcare Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Coping with Emotional Distress

Print Special Issue Flyer
Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
Published Papers

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health and Psychosocial Well-being".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 13979

Share This Special Issue

Editors

Prof. Dr. María del Sequeros Pedroso-Chaparro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Psychology, Universidad a Distancia de Madrid, A-6, 15, Collado Villalba, Madrid, Spain
Interests: aging; loneliness; ageism; self-perception of aging; self-perceived burden; guilt

Dr. Carlos Vara-García

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Psychology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28922 Madrid, Spain
Interests: family; stress processes; cardiovascular risk
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coping with emotional distress is a critical aspect of maintaining mental health and well-being across the lifespan. Emotional distress can manifest in various forms, including anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. This Special Issue aims to gather evidence-based research on the diverse aspects of coping with emotional distress, including theoretical frameworks, empirical studies, and intervention strategies.

The Need for Comprehensive Research

In the context of mental health, emotional distress is frequently assessed using outcome measures and assessment tools. However, the literature reveals a significant heterogeneity in coping strategies to deal with emotional distress. This heterogeneity can be seen as positive in addressing the multiple needs of clinical settings, but it often results in clinicians having conflicting or incomplete information when making patient care decisions. The lack of consistency and standardization in assessment and management procedures has hindered comparative research and meta-analyses, highlighting the need for more comprehensive and standardized approaches.

Research Areas

We invite contributions that cover a broad range of research areas related to coping with emotional distress. These include, but are not limited to:

Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: Comprehensive reviews of existing literature on coping mechanisms and their efficacy in reducing emotional distress.
Longitudinal Studies: Long-term studies examining the development and impact of emotional distress over time and the effectiveness of coping strategies in different life stages.
Cross-Sectional Studies: Studies that explore the prevalence and correlates of emotional distress in various populations, including cultural adaptations of assessment tools.
Intervention Studies: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and other intervention studies evaluating the effectiveness of different therapeutic approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based interventions, and other psychological treatments.
Quantitative and Qualitative Studies: Both quantitative and qualitative research designs are welcome, including surveys, interviews, and mixed-methods approaches to understand the complex nature of emotional distress and coping mechanisms.
Cultural and Sociocultural Influences: Studies examining how cultural and sociocultural factors influence the experience and management of emotional distress.
Technology-Based Interventions: Research on the use of digital technologies, such as mobile apps and online platforms, in delivering mental health interventions and supporting coping strategies.
Psychometric Studies: Investigations into the psychometric properties of assessment tools and coping inventories to ensure their reliability and validity across different populations.

Importance of the Research

This Special Issue aims to contribute to the development of clinical practice and research by providing practical and universally accepted procedures for assessing and managing emotional distress. The findings from this issue will help in:

Improving Clinical Practice: By identifying effective coping strategies and therapeutic interventions, clinicians can make more informed decisions in patient care.
Enhancing Research Quality: Standardized and validated procedures will facilitate high-quality comparative research and meta-analyses, advancing our understanding of emotional distress and its management.
Promoting Mental Health: The dissemination of evidence-based recommendations will support public health initiatives aimed at reducing emotional distress and promoting mental well-being.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. María del Sequeros Pedroso-Chaparro
Prof. Dr. Carlos Vara-Garciá
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

anxiety
depression
emotional distress
coping mechanisms
mental health
resilience
stress
suicide

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Other

14 pages, 246 KB

Open AccessArticle

Psychosocial Aspects of Infertility and Medically Assisted Reproduction in Serbia: A COMPI-Based Single Centre Study

by Lidija Tulic, Jelena Dotlic, Tatjana Madic, Dejan Uljarevic, Aleksandar Dmitrovic, Lone Schmidt, Mariana Veloso Martins, Jelena Stojnic, Jelena Micic, Jovan Bila and Dragisa Sljivancanin

Healthcare 2026, 14(10), 1429; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14101429 - 21 May 2026

Viewed by 460

Abstract

Background: Infertility affects millions of people causing grave societal and health consequences (poor physical and mental wellbeing). Aims: To translate and validate the COMPI scale in Serbian and examine associations of infertility-related stress, coping strategies and evaluation of care with medically assisted reproduction (MAR) outcomes in female Serbian infertility patients. Methods: The study included patients undergoing MAR for four months. Participants completed a socio-demographic and gynecologic questionnaire, the Serbian-translated COMPI scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Zung Self-Rating Depression scale (ZDS). Serbian COMPI was validated in the classic manner. Associations between COMPI scores and pregnancy outcomes were analyzed by Spearman’s correlation and multivariable regression. Results: A total of 107 women participated and 24.3% achieved pregnancy. The Serbian COMPI demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.838). Compared with reference COMPI data, personal, social and marital stress scores were higher, while meaning-based coping and marital benefit scores were lower. Regression analysis showed that higher marital stress, partner communication difficulties and meaning-based coping were associated with higher pregnancy likelihood. Conclusions: Serbian patients undergoing MAR reported high infertility-related stress and predominantly used active coping strategies. Patients who applied meaning-based coping were more likely to achieve pregnancy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coping with Emotional Distress)

18 pages, 2014 KB

Open AccessArticle

Emotional Distress Symptom Networks in Patients with Gynecological Malignancies: A Cross-Sectional Study

by Haowen Huang, Ting Liu, La Pan, Shuo Man, Ling Xia and Yuan Wang

Healthcare 2026, 14(9), 1136; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14091136 - 23 Apr 2026

Viewed by 351

Abstract

Background: Emotional distress (ED) is common among patients with gynecological malignancies and is associated with reduced quality of life and suboptimal health outcomes. Total-score approaches may overlook the complex interrelationships among individual emotional symptoms. Objective: This study provides a theory-informed contextual application and empirical boundary test of symptom network analysis, organized by the Stress Process Model (SPM), to examine not only how ED symptoms cluster and connect with psychosocial correlates and quality-of-life domains, but also whether psychosocial stratification is reflected in altered symptom topology or primarily in differences in distress burden. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 415 patients with gynecological malignancies recruited from a tertiary hospital in China. ED was assessed using the Brief Profile of Mood States-Short Form (BPOMS-SF30). An exploratory three-track screening strategy was used to derive a focused 16-node set of frequent negative mood symptoms. Gaussian graphical models with EBICglasso regularization were estimated for the symptom network and for extended networks including demographic/clinical variables, SPM-related psychosocial variables, and quality-of-life indicators. Results: The ED network showed dense positive connectivity, with strong within-domain clustering and several cross-domain associations. Exhaustion, restlessness, and irritability were relatively more relationally prominent in the primary network, although centrality stability was low to moderate across models. Fatigue-related symptoms were closely connected with anxiety, depressive symptoms, and impaired quality of life. Among psychosocial variables, self-perceived burden showed the strongest conditional association with fatigue. Adjusting for demographic and clinical variables did not materially alter the core symptom network, and no significant subgroup differences in global strength or overall structure were observed across psychosocial strata. Conclusions: In this sample, psychosocial risk stratification appeared to relate more to the overall severity and burden of distress than to major reorganization of symptom topology. The study therefore contributes primarily as a theory-informed contextual application of network methods and as an empirical boundary test showing that several psychosocial strata did not exhibit major topological differences. Because the retained nodes were selected for prevalence, association strength, and selection stability, the observed prominence of fatigue- and activation-related symptoms should be interpreted as conditional on this focused symptom subset. Overall, the findings are correlational, exploratory, and hypothesis-generating. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coping with Emotional Distress)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 352 KB

Open AccessArticle

Caught Between Care and Collapse: An Interpretive Qualitative Exploration of Burnout and Resilience Among Respiratory Therapists in Saudi Arabia

by Rayan A. Siraj and Maryam M. Almulhem

Healthcare 2026, 14(4), 504; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14040504 - 15 Feb 2026

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 770

Abstract

Background: Although burnout among respiratory therapists (RTs) is well documented, qualitative insights into their lived experiences in Saudi Arabia remain limited. This study explored RTs’ experiences of burnout, systemic and organisational drivers of professional strain, and strategies for resilience and retention within Saudi hospitals. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was employed. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 11 RTs from diverse regions across Saudi Arabia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Arabic between September and November 2025, audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Data management and analysis followed a hybrid approach using NVivo 12 software alongside manual coding to support deep immersion in the data. Analysis was guided by Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Methodological rigour was enhanced through reflexive memoing, peer debriefing, and adherence to a 15-point trustworthiness checklist. Results: Analysis generated one overarching theme, “Caught Between Care and Collapse: The Human Cost of Institutional Burnout,” alongside three interrelated themes. Participants described (1) “Living within a system that drains the self,” highlighting sustained physical and emotional exhaustion driven by understaffing and extended shifts; (2) “Losing meaning and recognition,” illustrating how organisational neglect eroded professional passion and replaced it with obligation and frustration; and (3) “Coping strategies and informal support,” reflecting quiet resilience through self-regulation, peer solidarity, and humane leadership. Many participants framed their endurance as an act of moral defiance rather than passive resignation. Conclusions: These findings suggest that RT burnout reflects not individual failure but a structural outcome of sustained strain and deficits in reciprocity. Burnout emerges as an institutional crisis in which therapists remain deeply committed to patient care while being pushed toward professional collapse by systemic neglect. Culturally informed, system-level interventions are urgently needed to preserve this essential workforce. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coping with Emotional Distress)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 310 KB

Open AccessArticle

Coping and Caregiving Experiences Among Siblings of Individuals with Severe Mental Disorders

by Carolina Reyes-González, Mª Nieves Pérez-Marfil and Isabel C. Salazar

Healthcare 2026, 14(3), 388; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14030388 - 3 Feb 2026

Viewed by 865

Abstract

Background/Objective: Informal caregiving for individuals with severe mental disorders (SMDs) often leads to significant psychological distress. However, the specific coping strategies that determine mental health outcomes among siblings remain poorly understood. This study aimed to analyze the predictive capacity of various coping strategies regarding health, perceived stress, self-esteem, and caregiving experience for siblings. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of siblings of patients with SMDs (N = 60) from mental health service. Self-report measures were used to assess perceived health, perceived stress, self-esteem, coping strategies, and caregiving experience. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed for each dependent variable, controlling for collinearity. Results: The siblings reported a higher mean use of problem-focused coping strategies compared to emotion-focused coping strategies. Regression models were statistically significant for all analyzed variables, except for somatic symptoms. Emotion-focused maladaptive coping (EFMC) strategies emerged as the most consistent and powerful predictor, showing a significant association with positive caregiving appraisal (β = 0.657), depression (β = 0.500), poor health (β = 0.453), negative stress (β = 0.449), social dysfunction (β = 0.429), self-esteem (β = −0.390), and anxiety (β = 0.368). In contrast, problem-focused strategies were largely non-significant, except for an association with positive and negative aspects of caregiving (β_PFMC = 0.509, β_PFMC = 0.312, respectively), and positive stress (β_PFAC = −0.272). Conclusions: These results suggest that while siblings of people with SMDs report a greater use of problem-focused coping strategies, the adoption of EFMC strategies is the most detrimental factor observed, given their negative influence on mental health, self-esteem, and caregiving experience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coping with Emotional Distress)

23 pages, 464 KB

Open AccessArticle

Development and Validation of the Pregnancy Guilt Assessment Scale (PGAS): A Specific Tool for Assessing Guilt in Pregnancy

by Octavio Luque-Reca, Cecilia Peñacoba and Patricia Catalá

Healthcare 2025, 13(24), 3241; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13243241 - 10 Dec 2025

Viewed by 729

Abstract

Background: Gestational guilt is an understudied emotional experience that can affect maternal well-being and prenatal bonding. This study aimed to develop and validate the Pregnancy Guilt Assessment Scale (PGAS) in a sample of Spanish pregnant women, assessing its factorial structure, reliability, and validity. Methods: Four phases were conducted: (1) item generation through focus groups (n = 17) and cognitive interviews (n = 8); (2) expert content validation (n = 3); (3) exploratory factor analysis (EFA) in a pilot sample (n = 85); and (4) confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and validity testing in an independent sample (n = 171). Additional measures included antenatal depression, prenatal distress, affect, self-esteem, social support, and dispositional guilt. Internal consistency, correlations, and multiple regressions assessed reliability and convergent and incremental validity. Results: The final 16-item PGAS showed a bifactor structure with a general factor and four dimensions: G-LSC (Lack of self-care), G-UEE (Unmet emotional expectations), G-SP (Social pressure), and G-CWR (Conflict with work role). The model demonstrated good fit (χ² = 109.42, df = 88, p = 0.061; CFI = 0.974; TLI = 0.965; RMSEA = 0.069; SRMR = 0.030) and high reliability (α total = 0.96; ω = 0.98; subscales α = 0.90–0.94). PGAS scores correlated positively with dispositional guilt, negative affect, prenatal distress, and antenatal depression. In regressions, G-UEE uniquely predicted depression (β = 0.213, p = 0.002) and G-SP predicted distress (β = 0.303, p < 0.001). Women who had considered pregnancy termination scored higher on guilt (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The PGAS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing pregnancy-related guilt in Spanish women, with potential relevance for perinatal mental health research and clinical practice, while future studies should evaluate its performance in other cultural settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coping with Emotional Distress)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 781 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Maladaptive Coping Styles on Psychological Outcomes in Tuberculosis Patients

by Ion Papava, Ana-Maria Cristina Daescu, Liana Dehelean, Ana-Cristina Bredicean, Adrian Cosmin Ilie, Sorin Ursoniu, Mariana Bondrescu, Ion Radu, Andrei Daescu, Alexandru-Ioan Gaitoane and Cristian Oancea

Healthcare 2025, 13(9), 1042; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13091042 - 1 May 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1949

Abstract

Background/Objective: Tuberculosis (TB) is associated with significant psychological distress, including anxiety and depression, which may be influenced by coping styles. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between coping mechanisms, psychological outcomes, and sociodemographic factors in TB patients. Methods: A total of 100 TB patients admitted to the Victor Babeș Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases and Pneumophtisiology, Timișoara, were assessed using the COPE questionnaire for coping styles and the GAD7 and PHQ9 scales for anxiety and depression. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test analyzed the changes in the psychological scores between admission and discharge. Results: Multinomial and linear regression analyses identified the predictors of coping styles based on psychological and sociodemographic factors. Anxiety and depression significantly improved during hospitalization (PHQ9: p < 0.001, GAD7: p < 0.001). Social-support-focused coping showed the largest depression reduction (PHQ9: from 13 to 4), while avoidant coping had the lowest residual distress (PHQ9 = 0.5, GAD7 = 0). Age and marital status were significant predictors of problem-focused coping, with older and married patients being more likely to adopt this strategy (β = 0.08, p = 0.008). Coping styles significantly influence psychological outcomes in TB patients. Problem-focused coping was associated with better psychological recovery, while social-support-focused coping was linked to persistent distress. Conclusions: Integrating mental health screening into TB care and tailoring interventions to coping styles may enhance psychological resilience and potentially support treatment adherence, a relationship that should be further explored in future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coping with Emotional Distress)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

17 pages, 876 KB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Emotional Freedom Techniques for Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review

by Seong Hun Choi, Soo-Hyun Sung and Gihyun Lee

Healthcare 2025, 13(17), 2180; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172180 - 1 Sep 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 7364

Abstract

Background/Objectives: This systematic review evaluated the efficacy and safety of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for anxiety disorders, compared with conventional and alternative therapies. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across nine electronic databases up to February 2025, including only parallel-group randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated EFT as a standalone intervention for anxiety symptoms. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool. Results: Seven RCTs with 506 participants were included. Populations ranged from clinical to non-clinical groups. EFT interventions varied in duration (1–56 sessions), with control groups including no treatment, supportive interviews, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), breathing therapy, and progressive muscle relaxation. All six studies comparing EFT to no intervention reported significant reductions in anxiety symptoms in favor of EFT. Compared to active controls, EFT showed similar or superior effects to breathing therapy and muscle relaxation but no significant difference from CBT. Most studies showed “some concerns” in risk of bias, mainly due to self-reported outcomes and lack of blinding. Conclusions: EFT appears to be a promising and safe complementary intervention for reducing anxiety symptoms, with additional benefits for related psychological outcomes. However, methodological limitations and heterogeneity among studies preclude firm conclusions. High-quality RCTs using standardized protocols and objective outcome measures are warranted to confirm these findings and to explore the effectiveness of EFT as an adjunct to conventional therapies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coping with Emotional Distress)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Coping with Emotional Distress

Share This Special Issue

Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

Research

Other

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI