title: Coping ability, stress, productive load, and symptoms.
abstract: A study of 450 college students demonstrated (a) the importance of a distinction between self-produced and externally produced stressors, (b) the usefulness of a construct of productive load, and (c) stronger relations of the Constructive Thinking Inventory than of the Hardiness Questionnaire with productive load and with mental and physical symptoms. Because a major path through which coping ability influences symptoms is negative emotions, the widely recommended practice of partialing self-reported negative affect out of relations among coping, stress, and symptoms is often inappropriate. However, as total daily stressors (e.g., hassles) consist largely of self-produced stressors, it is highly confounded with coping ability, and it is therefore important to partial coping ability out of relations between total stressors and other variables.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Katz
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology*