When a Pandemic Strikes: Resilience of Swedish Academics in the Face of Coronavirus

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic hit the world with severe health consequences, affecting some populations more than others. One understudied population is the academic community. This study, part of a larger project looking at COVID-19 in Sweden and internationally, aims to understand the individual and collective dimensions of resilience among academics in Sweden during the early wave of the pandemic. Method: A quantitative research design was applied for this cross-sectional study. We used simple random sampling, administered through an online survey, on academics at Swedish universities (n = 278, 64% women). We employed the CD-RISC 2 (the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale) to measure personal/individual resilience, additional items for social/collective resilience, and a meaning-making coping instrument (meaning, control, comfort/spirituality, intimacy/spirituality, life transformation). Results: The results revealed a strong level of personal/individual resilience among men (M = 6.05) and a level just below strong among women (M = 5.90). By age group, those 35–49-year-olds showed strong resilience (M = 6.31). Family was the dominant social/collective resilience factor, followed by friends, nature, work/school, and, lastly, religion/spirituality. There was a positive and significant correlation between self-rated health and personal/individual resilience (r = 0.252, p = 0.001) and positive but weak correlations and negative significant correlations between personal/individual resilience and religious coping methods. Conclusions: During the pandemic, the family took priority in meaning-making, which is an interesting change in a strong individual-oriented society such as Sweden.

Living through a Global Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Psychological Resilience of the University Population in Iran

“…The RCOPE has a Cronbach’s Alpha value of 0.794 (high level), and includes 15 items, rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (“Never”) to 3 (“Always”), plus 9 background items. The instrument was validated for language and content in earlier studies [ 18 , 19 ]. Content and concepts were also adjusted to fit the Iranian cultural context, where mosque, religious leader, and Allah replaced terms such as church, priest, and God.…”

“…Among Swedish academics, several secular existential coping methods appeared as the most common: among these, nature, followed by listening to the sounds of surrounding nature, thinking of life as part of a greater whole, walking/being active outdoors, being alone, and thinking of an internal spiritual force exist [ 18 ]. Cetrez et al investigated the individual and collective dimensions of resilience among academic community members in Sweden [ 19 ]. The findings revealed a strong level of personal/individual resilience among men and a level just below strong among women.…”