The COVID-19 pandemic is causing widespread detrimental effects on mental health and quality of life, yet little research has examined effective coping strategies to mitigate these negative effects. The current study examined the association of 14 different coping strategies (categorized as approach or avoidance coping) with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and quality of life both cross-sectionally (N = 797) and longitudinally (n = 395). Avoidance coping was associated with higher depression, higher anxiety, and lower quality of life at baseline, and increased depression and anxiety over time. Approach coping was associated with lower depression and better quality of life at baseline but not over time. Further, depression and anxiety significantly mediated the association between coping and quality of life. Of the specific coping strategies examined, positive reframing was the most beneficial, suggesting that interventions focusing on reframing negative aspects of the pandemic may be most beneficial to improve general well-being. Public Significance StatementThe current study examined the effectiveness of different coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic to help anxiety, depression, and quality of life. Avoidance coping was unhelpful and was associated with increased depression and anxiety. The most helpful coping strategy was positive reframing. Positively reframing the negative effects of COVID-19 may help to cope with the pandemic.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02508493.

Cognitive rehabilitative programs for serious mental illness that rely on computer-based training for neuroplasticity should ensure opportunities for active skill development and therapist-supported techniques to overcome challenges with generalizing cognitive effects to everyday outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record

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Neurocognitive impairments are observed in depression and associated with poor functioning. This study examined the efficacy and the effectiveness of cognitive remediation with supplemental Internet-based homework in treatment-resistant depression. Participants were randomized to treatment or wait list control conditions. Treatment consisted of 10 weeks of weekly group sessions and daily online cognitive exercises completed at home. The participants were assessed on cognitive, mood, motivation, and functioning measures. There was a significant time by treatment interaction for attention/processing speed and verbal memory. Changes in functioning were not significant, although improved cognition predicted improvements in functioning. Number of minutes of online exercise was associated with greater cognitive improvements. Cognitive deficits are malleable with behavioral treatment in a mood disorder characterized by severe and persistent symptoms.

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ObjectivesThere is a need for a brief, reliable, valid, and sensitive assessment tool for screening cognitive deficits in patients with Major Depressive Disorders. This paper examines the psychometric characteristics of THINC‐it, a cognitive assessment tool composed of four objective measures of cognition and a self‐rated assessment, in subjects without mental disorders.Methods N = 100 healthy controls with no current or past history of depression were tested on four sequential assessments to examine temporal stability, reliability, and convergent validity of the THINC‐it tests. We examined temporal reliability across 1 week and stability via three consecutive assessments. Consistency of assessment by the study rater (intrarater reliability) was calculated using the data from the second and third of these consecutive assessments.ResultsTest–retest reliability correlations varied between Pearson's r = 0.75 and 0.8. Intrarater reliability between 0.7 and 0.93. Stability for the primary measure for each test yielded within‐subject standard deviation values between 5.9 and 11.23 for accuracy measures and 0.735 and 17.3 seconds for latency measures. Convergent validity for three tasks was in the acceptable range, but low for the Symbol Check task.ConclusionsAnalysis shows high levels of reliability and stability. Levels of convergent validity were modest but acceptable in the case of all but one test.

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