Consumers' coping strategies when they feel negative emotions in the face of forced deconsumption during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns

Myriam Ertz; Urvashi Tandon; Gautier G Yao Quenum; Mohammed Salem; Shouheng Sun

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1018290

Consumers' coping strategies when they feel negative emotions in the face of forced deconsumption during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns

Front Psychol. 2022 Nov 29:13:1018290. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1018290. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Myriam Ertz¹, Urvashi Tandon², Gautier G Yao Quenum^{1

3}, Mohammed Salem⁴, Shouheng Sun⁵

Affiliations

¹ LaboNFC, Department of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Saguenay, QC, Canada.
² Chitkara Business School, Chitkara University, Patiala, Punjab, India.
³ COlab, Cégep d'Alma, Saguenay, QC, Canada.
⁴ Department of Administration and Finance Sciences, University College of Applied Sciences, Gaza, Palestine.
⁵ School of Economics and Management, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Introduction: This paper explores consumers' coping strategies when they feel negative emotions due to forced deconsumption during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Methods: The tool used for data collection is the questionnaire. It was made using the LimeSurvey software. A total of 621 complete observations were analyzed.

Results: The findings demonstrate that anger positively influences the activation of seeking social support, mental disengagement, and confrontive coping strategies. Besides, disappointment activates mental disengagement but only marginally confrontive coping and not behavioral disengagement. Furthermore, regret is positively related to confrontive coping, behavioral disengagement, acceptance, and positive reinterpretation. Finally, worry positively impacts behavioral disengagement, self-control, seeking social support, mental disengagement, and planful problem-solving.

Discussion: The study's originality lies in its investigation of consumers' coping strategies when experiencing negative emotions due to forced deconsumption in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; coping; deconsumption; emotions; lockdown; pandemic; questionnaire; survey.