Abstract:

This study aimed to evaluate post-pandemic depression, coping, and social adjustment between men and women, and to add another objective of developing a valid scale for evaluating post-pandemic depression. Depression is referred to here as the persistent experience of sadness and loss of interest, while coping mechanisms are the mechanisms used by individuals to confront stress and emotions. Social adjustment is defined as a person's capacity to accommodate society's changes and adversity. A comparison design directed the research, investigating gender differences in a sample of 80 people (40 men and 40 women), between the ages of 20 and 45, recruited via a snowball sampling strategy over nine weeks. Data were gathered through an online questionnaire and analysed with SPSS. The first hypothesis, expecting higher depression in men, was falsified (t = 0.592, p > 0.05), as was the second hypothesis that men would rate higher in post-pandemic depression compared to women (t = 1.805, p > 0.05). The third hypothesis proposing that more coping strategies would be employed by men was also not verified (t = -0.499, p > 0.05). But the fourth hypothesis, which predicted higher social adjustment in males, was confirmed by the findings (t = -2.126, p < 0.05). The findings suggest that males and females suffer equally from post-pandemic depression and employ similar coping mechanisms, although males seem to show higher social adjustment in coping with post-pandemic situations. In total, the research emphasizes the need to create gender-sensitive mental health policies that reflect certain social and emotional needs during periods of recovery.

Keywords:

Post-Pandemic Depression, Coping Strategies, Social Adjustment, Gender Differences, Mental Health

Aim/Objectives

Methods