What is it about?
We know that different types of work stress influence the different coping responses we commonly use to manage this stress. Unsuccessful stress management has a direct and potentially chronic impact on our physical and mental health, and impairs our work performance. Using a daily-diary study, we collected a weeks worth of data from 318 workers. It was clear that proactively preparing for a known challenging future stressor was linked with better outcomes including high levels of work enagement. A future stressor percieved to be a direct threat and/or a hinderance to the worker resulted in more negative outcomes, such as high work anxiety.
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Why is it important?
This paper is rare in assessing the three different categories of work stress (challenge, hinderance, and threats) anticipated to occur in the future, with primary appraisal, and the two types of future-orientated coping (proactive and preventative). The daily-diary research design illustrates the daily changes occuring in these variables over one working week.
Perspectives
This paper advances discussions of the occupational stress process by testing different types of cognitive appraisals. By empirically distinguishing between hindrances and threats appraisals and proactive and preventive coping, this paper offer supports to the multi-dimensionality of the stress and coping process. This multi-dimensionality has implications for workplace stress management programs.
Paula Brough
Griffith University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Threats, challenges, hindrances, and future-oriented coping: A daily diary study of the occupational stress process., International Journal of Stress Management, August 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/str0000367.
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