Moderating Effects of Coping on Associations Between Stress Reactivity and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems

The present study was motivated by a need to employ multilevel studies to better understand why the experience of stressful life events is predictive of increased rates of psychopathology. Specifically, this study aimed to test the moderating role of coping on associations between stress reactivity (autonomic arousal) and broad-spectrum internalizing and externalizing problems in a normative sample. Participants were 140 adolescents and emerging adults (ages 14-30 years; 60% female) who completed questionnaires on coping, stressful life events, personality, and behavioral/emotional problems. Skin conductance and heart rate data were also measured while participants completed two laboratory stress tasks: a public speaking task and a task involving serial subtraction. Path analytic results suggested negative main effects for primary and secondary control coping, and positive main effects for disengagement coping, on internalizing and externalizing problems. Evidence was also found for interactive effects of skin conductance reactivity to the public speaking task and secondary control coping on externalizing problems for adolescents only, such that there was a negative association between SCL reactivity and externalizing problems for individuals reporting low use of secondary control coping, but SCL reactivity and externalizing problems were unrelated for individuals reporting high use of secondary control coping. Associations were also found between personality variables and both coping and internalizing and externalizing problems, but not with autonomic arousal. Although a priori hypotheses regarding interaction effects were mainly unsupported, results from the present study suggest that future research examining the interplay among stress reactivity, coping, and personality will be important in furthering our understanding of the development of psychopathology and helping to tailor effective efforts at prevention and intervention

Validating a self-report measure of student athletes’ perceived 2 stress reactivity: Associations with heart-rate variability and 3 stress appraisals

Student athletes experience multiple stressors relating to both their sporting and academic 25 commitments. Individual differences play a significant role in how well student athletes cope 26 with the demands they face. When assessing individual differences in stress reactivity, there 27 are a lack of valid alternatives to costly and time-consuming lab-based physiological methods 28 (e.g. cortisol sampling, cardiac variables). This paper aims to further validate a self-report 29 measure of adolescent athletes’ individual differences in perceived stress reactivity, by 30 comparing to a psycho-physiological measure of emotion regulation (heart-rate variability) 31 assessed during a socially evaluated cold pressor test. 30 student athletes and 31 student non-32 athletes completed a measure of perceived stress reactivity and took part in the socially 33 evaluated cold pressor test while their heart-rate variability was assessed, along with their 34 self-reported appraisals of stress, pain, and unpleasantness experienced during the procedure. 35 Controlling for gender and athleticism, individual differences in perceived stress reactivity 36 showed no associations with tonic or phasic levels of heart-rate variability. However, 37 perceived stress reactivity was associated with levels of self-reported stress, pain, and 38 unpleasantness experienced during the socially evaluated cold pressor test. These findings 39 therefore suggest that perceived stress reactivity is associated with cognitive responses to 40 stress (i.e. stress appraisals). However, further research is needed to confirm its relationship 41 with physiological measures and responses. This further adds to the understanding of 42 perceived stress reactivity, and validity of the perceived stress reactivity scale for adolescent 43 athletes

Resilience in the transition to adulthood

AbstractThe emerging adulthood years, commonly defined as the late teens and twenties, represent a period of significant variability and change for much of the population. Thus, it is important for the field to consider pathways of at-risk youth as they move through this key window of development. We review research on positive outcomes in the transition to adulthood following a history of experienced adversity, including both investigations focused on resilience in diverse specific populations as well as broader longitudinal studies. There is compelling evidence for major protective and promotive factors identified in younger age periods continuing to exert an influence at this stage of development, along with evidence for new factors unique to this developmental time and/or to specific populations. We conclude by noting recommendations for future work in this area, emphasizing Garmezy's call for the testing of competing models.</jats:p