Stress and resilience coping strategies among vaccination-undergoing population on COVID-19 emerging variants in Nellore – A cross-sectional study

Introduction: As COVID-19 new variants are emerging globally at an alarming speed. Psychological effects like mental distress, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms are increasing gradually in the general population as vaccinations are perceived to be the most effective way in preventing the spread of emerging variants in the future and are also cited as one of the most effective ways in controlling the effects caused by these variants. Aim: This study aims to examine stress and resilience coping strategies among the vaccination-undergoing population in Nellore city of Andhra Pradesh. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 1 month among the vaccination-undertaken population visiting the health service centers of Nellore city, Andhra Pradesh. A specially designed and validated questionnaire, consisting of three instruments, was given to the participants to assess perceived stress, worries, and resilience coping strategies. Spearman’s correlation was applied to determine the relation between stress and resilience coping strategies among the vaccination population. Results: A total of 195 participants, of whom 76.9% felt worried regarding the Omicron variant. 50.8% had sometimes felt nervous and stressed in the last month. Among first-dose study participants, there is a positive correlation between stress and resilience coping strategies ( r = 0.4). Conclusion: This study concludes that as new emerging variants occur, the population undergoing vaccination has more stress and resilience coping strategies.