Coping strategies and household stress/violence in remote Alaska: a longitudinal view across the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced novel stressors. Remote/rural communities have experienced additional difficulties, while also potentially benefitting from unique sources of resilience against such stressors. However, very little research has been conducted in remote/rural communities regarding coping and stress/violence. This study examines coping strategies and household stress/violence in remote Alaska communities across the pandemic through three online survey waves (November 2020–September 2021) (total n = 1,020). Across all waves, personal care was reported most frequently followed by social activities, religious activities, and traditional/subsistence activities. Substance use combined (alcohol, nicotine, marijuana) and seeking counselling were less frequently reported, with significant differences across gender and age categories. Less than 10% of individuals reported physical violence towards children and/or other adults within the household. Overall, these findings indicate that individuals are primarily relying on positive coping strategies to contend with additional stress brought into their lives by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A qualitative exploration of the impacts of COVID-19 in two rural Southwestern Alaska communities

“…There were also only 48 participants, and their responses may not be generalisable to the entirety of their communities. However, our results are consistent with research emerging among Alaska Native communities of other geographic regions of Alaska [ 8 , 10 , 11 ].…”

“…The COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic had profound impacts in the United States (US), as well as within Alaska Native communities, where the pandemic exposed strengths and vulnerabilities within community response and local health and services infrastructure [ 1 ]. More than 60,000 people in Alaska, including about half of the state’s Alaska Native population, live in remote communities that are not connected to major population centres via road, and are only accessible via plane, snow machine, or boat [ 2 , 3 ]. Numerous geographic and social factors placed Alaska Native residents of remote communities at an increased risk of negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, including reduced access to basic supplies and store-bought food, overcrowded housing, inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure, and limited healthcare access [ 4–7 ].…”

“…Numerous geographic and social factors placed Alaska Native residents of remote communities at an increased risk of negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, including reduced access to basic supplies and store-bought food, overcrowded housing, inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure, and limited healthcare access [ 4–7 ]. Community-wide shutdowns and school closures affected social connections, disrupting childcare, cultural activities and ceremonies, and increasing social isolation [ 8 ]. Moreover, the lasting impacts of structural racism and historical trauma contribute to inequities that exacerbated COVID-19 risk for American Indian and Alaska Native peoples [ 1 , 9 ].…”

“…People living in remote communities reported prioritising the knowledge, and protection, of Elders, which affected individual safety decisions related to mask use and vaccination [ 10 , 11 ]. Surveys collected from Alaska Native people living in remote communities during the early months of the pandemic showed that although traditional hunting camps were cancelled to limit social contact, overall access to traditionally harvested foods was minimally disrupted [ 2 , 6 ]. People reported participation in subsistence activities like hunting, fishing, and berry picking, which are associated with health, healing, and stress coping in Alaska Native communities [ 12 , 13 ].…”

“…Regionally coordinated pandemic responses were affected by politicisation of COVID-19 protection strategies, and by limited federal and state guidance on transmission mitigation strategies such as mask use, and travel [ 11 , 15 ]. Despite few state-level restrictions, many Alaska Native communities implemented mask requirements and restricted entry to limit COVID-19 transmission [ 2 , 14 ]. In a study of pandemic adaptations among Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska, more interviewees reported feeling united, rather than divided, in their public health response to COVID-19 [ 10 ].…”