The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced significant challenges worldwide, requiring the swift adaptation of coping strategies to manage ongoing uncertainty and disruption. Coping mechanisms are influenced by individual personality traits, cognitive patterns, and perceptions, often triggered by stress or critical events such as the pandemic. This study, using a network analysis approach, examines the coping strategies employed during the repeated waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a convenience sample of 403 individuals from Romania. The results show that substance use is the most destabilizing factor in the resilience network, while the use of instrumental support shows the most positive impact. These findings provide valuable insights into both the effective and ineffective coping strategies that have contributed to the resilience of the Romanian population during the pandemic. They emphasize the need for targeted interventions that address the unique roles and vulnerabilities of specific coping mechanisms in the ongoing context of COVID-19 disruptions.
