A longitudinal study of appraisal and coping using repeated measures of stressor, importance, frustration and coping response
✍ Scribed by Frederikson, Lesley G. ;Dewe, Philip J.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 1012 KB
- Volume
- 12
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0748-8386
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
A sample of research institute employees ( N = 37) were surveyed three times across a period of 1 year in a longitudinal study of stress and coping. The study adopts a transactional view of stress as a relationship between person and environment, in which cognitive appraisal is an important component. The research focus is on the elements of stressor importance and feelings of frustration in relation to coping. Results provide evidence for two predominant coping strategies which we have termed 'approach' and 'avoidance'. They describe ways of coping by, respectively, attending to the problem or seeking distraction. A cluster analysis of stress incidents enabled the identification of three distinct groups. These groups of stressful encounters were associated with differential use of approach and avoidance type coping and different levels of importance and frustration. This analysis together with the results of multiple moderated regression suggest that increasing frustration leads to greater use of avoidance type coping but the relationship is moderated by the importance of what is at stake. Increasing importance is associated with increased use of approach type responses. The results are discussed in terms of the person-environment relationship and the constraints which might impact on coping with work stress.