Recent bereavement, coping strategies, and symptoms of anxiety and insomnia in clinical psychology trainees

Introduction Clinical psychology trainees engaged in supervised training may be exposed to significant life stressors, such as bereavement, which can increase vulnerability to anxiety and insomnia symptoms. Grounded in the Transactional Model of Stress and the Dual Process Model of bereavement, this cross-sectional study aimed to examine whether coping strategies function as risk or protective factors for anxiety and insomnia symptoms among senior psychology trainees. Method To do so, we compared students who had experienced recent bereavement (defined as the death of a loved one within the past three months; n = 94) with those who had not ( n = 214). In addition, we evaluated whether perceived self-efficacy to provide telecare served as a protective factor against these symptoms in both groups. Data were collected on 14 coping strategies using the Brief COPE test, and on anxiety and insomnia symptoms using the General Health Questionnaire–28 (specifically the B scale) and perception of self-efficacy to provide telecare. Results Among 308 trainees, 94 (30.50%) reported the recent loss of a loved one within the previous three months. No statistically significant differences were found between bereaved and non-bereaved trainees in sociodemographic variables nor in perceived self-efficacy to provide telecare. However, recent bereavement was significantly associated with a higher risk of anxiety and insomnia. In this group, anxiety and insomnia scores were positively correlated with self-blame, emotional support seeking, venting, substance use, and behavioral disengagement, and negatively correlated with self-efficacy to provide telecare. Robust regression analyses indicated that acceptance acted as a protective factor among bereaved trainees, whereas self-blame, substance use, and venting predicted higher anxiety and insomnia. Among non-bereaved trainees, self-blame, behavioral disengagement, instrumental support, and substance use were identified as statistically significant predictors. Discussion Coping strategies play a critical role in understanding the psychological impact of stressors associated with clinical practices in both groups of psychology trainees, with avoidant coping associated with a greater risk of anxiety and insomnia symptoms. Therefore, prevention programs should prioritize interventions focused on reducing these maladaptive responses.