title: Negative affectivity and responses to work stressors: an experimental study.
abstract: An experiment tested the hypothesis that individuals high in negative affectivity (NA) show increased stress reactivity to stressors. There were three predictor variables: NA (measured 1 week prior to experimental participation), and two manipulated variables--demand (high/low) and behavioral control (high/low). First-year psychology students (n = 256) were randomly allocated to one of the four experimental conditions. Measures obtained were initial and post-task negative mood, coping strategies, task satisfaction, and performance (subjective and objective). Participants with high levels of NA reported more post-task negative mood in response to high demand conditions, compared to participants with low NA. A similar pattern of results emerged for task satisfaction, particularly in response to high demand-low behavioral control situations. Mediation analyses suggested this was because participants with high NA used more emotion-focused coping strategies. The study provides support for the stress reactivity role of NA in the stressor-strain process.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Terry
authors.forename: Nerina L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Jimmieson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*