Lawton, RJ, Gartland, NK and O'Connor, DB (2012) Effects of conscientiousness on the appraisals of daily stressors. Stress and Health, 28 (1). 80 - 86 (7). ISSN 1532-3005
Abstract
Conscientiousness (C) is positively associated with health and longevity although the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not fully understood. Stress may play a role in explaining the C–longevity relationship. This study investigated whether C predicted the cognitive appraisals of daily stressors/hassles. Participants (N = 102) completed measures of C and cognitive appraisal in relation to the most stressful hassle they had experienced in the last 7 days. Correlational analysis revealed that Total C, Order and Industriousness were positively correlated with primary appraisals, and Responsibility was positively correlated with secondary appraisals. The facets of C were then entered into hierarchical regression models, controlling for age and gender. This demonstrated that Order (β = 0.27, p < 0.05) and Industriousness (β = 0.28, p < 0.05) significantly predicted primary appraisals, accounting for 15.8% of the variance. Responsibility significantly predicted secondary appraisals (β = 0.44, p < 0.01), accounting for 16.3% of the variance. These findings indicate that higher Order and Industriousness are related to having a greater stake in daily stressors, whereas higher Responsibility is related to greater confidence in one's ability to deal with daily stressors. These results are the first demonstration that C is related to the appraisals of daily hassles and suggest that C may moderate the experience of stress in daily life.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Keywords: | conscientiousness; cognitive appraisal; daily hassles; stress |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Psychology (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 28 Nov 2013 16:24 |
Last Modified: | 28 Nov 2013 16:24 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smi.1404 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/smi.1404 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:76951 |