The current study investigated the effects of the COVID 19 on perceived stress, ways of coping with stress, self-control and self-management skills. It was seen that the people participating in our study had moderate stress. In addition, the fact that 313 people who participated in this study affecting the whole world had low stress levels is another result. There could be various explanations. Stress is an element that threatens the organism from inside and outside. The amount of stress keeps the person alert and supports them to survive. When the person is directly exposed to the stressful situation, the perceived stress level increases (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145855). It is thought that the majority of the people who participated in our study never left the house in this process and the possibility of encountering the virus directly, contributed to the moderate and low stress levels. COVID-19 is a virus identified on January 13, 2020 in China. The first case was seen on March 11, 2020 in our country and the quarantine process was initiated for this case (Chen Q et al., 2020; https://covid19bilgi.saglik.gov.tr/tr/). There may have been more information on the virus (via transmission routes and the protection of social distance is the best protection measure) in Turkey, since it arrived there two months and a half after China, and such knowledge of the pandemic might explain the moderate levels of stress. At the same time, during this period, it is thought that the incautiousness of the institutions regarding the things to be done in dealing with the pandemic and making statements about the situation by the Minister of Health provide a sense of trust in the people and the perceived stress is at a moderate level. However, when the normalization process begins, it is thought that it is important to examine the stress conditions related to adaptation to the external environment.
According to the results, there were higher mean levels of stress in the 18–30 year age stage, followed by the 14–17 year stage. Finally, the mean levels of stress were lowest in individuals 61 years and older. Since the youngest people of the sample in this study was mostly high school/ university students, these symptoms may have been due to the additional stress experienced by young students during the need to adapt to the new online distance education system, to graduate from school, to seek a new job after the graduation.
According to the results, it is stated that the level of the perceived stress of men is higher than women. Literally, it is stated in the studies conducted on this topic that the PSS scores of women are higher than men (Hamad et al., 2008). In a study by Day et al. (2003) with 186 university students found that in three of the five scenarios women are more stressed than men. it has seen that the results of our study were differenced the studies presented from literature. The reason for this is more likely that women's habit of spending time at home is better than men. In addition, it is thought that women's better social connections with others contribute to this. Sometimes these links are important for stress management strategies.
Different levels of perceived stress differentiate coping strategies (Trewor & Enright, 1990). In our study, it is seen that all strategies are used in different rates to deal with stress. This is thought to be due to the difference of stress sources and perceived stress level, environmental and social factors.
Coping strategies are methods developed by the individual to counteract internal or external effects that cause tension in the individual. Lazarus (1991) has been defined as the consciously formed strategies of the individual against coping with stress and the negative life events that the person experiences. It is the individual's active response to stressful situations during coping or preferring to lower the threat level of the stress source more passively (Özbay & Şahin, 1997; Folkman & Lazarus, 1988).
In our study, the most preferred strategy to deal with stress is that it is a seeking of social support strategy; the least preferred strategy is the submissive strategy. In addition, individuals with three perceived stress levels have the most seeking of social support strategy; at the very least, it appears to use the submissive strategy.
When the Turkish social structure is analyzed, it is seen that the basis of social aid and solidarity goes back to the first Turkish communities. The important days such as birth, death, mourning, joy, grief, soldier farewell, wedding, etc. in cases, the person is assisted and supported (Yazılıtaş, 2002). When the individual, who is part of the culture they are in, encounters a problem, they will seek help from their close circle to solve it. It is believed that people who seek solutions and balance in normal individual events seek help from their immediate surroundings by seeking greater support as part of the culture in larger events. It is thought that the majority of the people who participated in our study are the ones who live together at home during this process, which is also a factor in their preference for this strategy.
In a study carried out by Ergin et.al. (2014), it was found that the students used the self confident strategy method the most in their way of dealing with stress. The least used strategy is seeking of social support. The self-confident approach, one of the ways to deal with stress, means that the person finds himself in the power to resist and fight in any situation (Dennis et al., 2010).
In our study, it was also determined that women used the seeking of social support strategy more than men, which is one of the strategies to deal with stress. Social support, seen in close situations in difficult situations, has a role in reducing the effects of stressful events. This support makes people feel valued to eliminate the stressor or reduce its effect. This strategy is a strategy that is mostly evaluated in relation to human relations. In our study, it is thought that women's perception of stress is lower than men and that they use communication based this strategy more effectively.
Self-control and self-management skills are based on the circulation of the individual seeing, evaluating and moving the dynamics they have on the eve of having a new experience (Mezo, 2009). If the experience turns out to be positive, the individual encourages himself for new experiences, and if it turns out to be negative, the circulation stops or changes (Kanfer and Karoly, 1972). A study by Li and colleagues shows that individuals with low self-control are more vulnerable to maintain their mental health in the COVID-19 outbreak and need more psychological help.
In our study, it was found that the participants were also successful in using self-control self-management strategies. This situation shows us that the participants have successfully used the strategies that help them to manage their behaviors about suddenly reducing the inconsistencies in externally determined standards. Also, having high self-management and self-control skills shows that they know themselves and what they can do. When we look at the difference in terms of gender, for it is seen that men are more successful in using these strategies. Especially, it is seen that this difference arises in self-evaluation. Contrary to the findings that gender management strategies are in favor of women and men, there are also findings that there is no significant difference between them. (Uğurluoğlu, 2010; Covarrubias & Stone, 2015; Kurman, 2001; Kazan, 1999; Razieh et al., 2013; Carmelivet al., 2006). According to the gender variable in a study by Ercoşkun; it is stated that there is a significant difference in favor of female teacher candidates in self-adjustment, self-assessment, self-reinforcement sub-dimensions and total score.
When considered the relationship between perceived stress level and stress coping strategies in the current study; it has been determined that there is a low and negative relationship between perceived stress level and self-confident approach and optimistic approach. It was found that there was a weak and positive relation between perceived stress level and the submissive approach and helpless approach. There was no relation between perceived stress level and the seeking of social support approach. These results reveal that the use of effective ways to cope with stress reduces perceived stress and the use of ineffective ways increase this level.
In a study examining the relation between the PSS and the SCSS subscale; it has been determined there is a negative and weak relation between perceived stress level and self-confident and optimistic approach. It has a positive and weak relation between perceived stress level and helpless and submissive approach sub-dimension. The correlation coefficient between the PSS and the seeking social support approach is not statistically significant (Savcı and Aysan, 2014).
Low and negative correlations were found with the perceived stress level and SE. A weak and positive correlation was detected between the perceived stress level and SR. In this case, as the perceived stress level by the person increases, the self-evaluation decreases and the problems arise in interpreting the person’s internal balance. As people strengthen and control themselves, the stress they perceive decreases.
Self-management consists of a series of strategies that facilitate the behaviors that are used to reduce deviations from existing standards so that the individuals can manage their own behavior (Manz, 1986). Individuals with high self-management and self-control skills know themselves and what they can do and are successful in many areas in their lives.
It has been determined that self-monitoring has a weak and positive relation with a self-confident approach and optimism approach, and a low and negative relationship with a submissive approach. It has been determined that self-evaluating has a weak and negative relation with a self-confident approach and seeking of social support. It was found that self-reinforcing has a low and positive relation with a self-confident approach, an optimistic approach, and seeking of social support, and a weak and negative relation with submissive. In this case, it shows us that self-management and self-control increases as we use effective coping strategies of individuals.
In his study with 302 university students, Savcı et. al. (2014) found that there was a low and positive correlation between perceived stress level and strategies to cope with stress. In a study conducted by Tekin et al.(2019), there was a significant and negative relationship between seeking social support, self-confident approach and optimistic approach, and stress level, while there was a significant and positive relationship between submissive approach and helpless approach and stress level.
Limitation of the Study
A number of limitations noted for this study. Firstly, the ages of the participants have mostly consisted of young population and women. In the pandemic process, the study was carried out on the online form due to social isolation. Since the use of technology is not enough for people over a certain age, they have difficulty in accessing them. Therefore, it is seen that the population using technology is more intense in our study. Secondly, this survey was based on self-report instruments that could introduce a systematic bias.