Citation

Pow J, Lee-Baggley D, DeLongis A. Anxiety Stress Coping 2015; 29(6): 660-672.

Affiliation

a Department of Psychology , University of British Columbia , Vancouver , Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10615806.2015.1126258

PMID

26652309

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Basic human values have been categorized into two dimensions: those that are self- or agentically focused, and those that are other- or communally focused. We apply this model to cognitive appraisals of stress and argue that threat appraisals also fall into these two dimensions. The mediating roles of communal and agentic threats in linking stressors with coping responses were examined.

DESIGN: A daily process methodology was used.

METHODS: Three-hundred and fifty undergraduate students were followed midday and evening over one week, completing structured electronic diaries regarding their experiences of the past half-day. Participants described stressors in open-ended format, which were then coded into social stress, achievement stress, and other stress categories. They also completed scales measuring stress appraisals and coping.

RESULTS: Communal threat mediated links between social stressors and empathic responding, support seeking, and confrontation. Agentic threat mediated links between achievement stressors and empathic responding, support seeking, confrontation, and problem solving.

CONCLUSIONS: Individuals tend to cope in ways that maintain communion when they perceive communion to be threatened; they tend to cope in ways that maintain agency when they perceive agency to be threatened.

Language: en