College Students’ Hardiness: Predicted By Perceived Stress and Explained By Stress Appraisals

• In Event: Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Topic - Social, Emotional, Personality

Abstract

College students face numerous stressors (e.g., academic, social, emotional; Fisher, 2004; Bedewey & Gabriel, 2013) which have been associated with negative situational appraisals and poorer academic performance (Broman; 2005; Hudd et al., 2000; Rawson et al., 1994). Stress appraisal includes interpretations of stressors (i. e., primary: threat, challenging, or centrality) and evaluation of resources for overcoming stress (i.e., secondary appraisal; Lazarus & Folkman, 1987). A potential pathway for understanding how college students overcome these stressors may be hardiness. Hardiness is a constellation of attitudes and beliefs that buffer individuals’ experiences of stress through three main aspects: commitment, or dedication to being involved with the environment; control, a sense of personal agency; and challenge, or acceptance that stress and adversity are growth opportunities and part of existential life (Maddi et al., 2009). In undergraduates, hardiness negatively associates with repressive coping styles, physiological strain, avoidance, denial, disengagement, and positively associates with active coping strategies, problem-solving behavior, reinterpretation of challenging situations, academic self-efficacy and overall adaptiveness (e.g., Baumgartner, 2002; Maddi et al., 2009; Viola et al., 2016). Additionally, hardiness training has been implemented with college students, suggesting that hardiness can be conceptualized as an outcome (Maddi et al., 1998). Few studies have examined internal mechanisms (i.e., stress appraisal) in perceptions of stress and hardiness (e.g., Florian et al., 1995; Abdollahi, 2015). For example, stress appraisal components explained the relationship between hardiness and coping behaviors in college-aged military cadets (Delahaij et al., 2010). While hardiness has been examined as an outcome, information on processes involved in the development of hardiness is lacking. Given this, the current study examines stress appraisal components (i.e., threat, challenge, centrality, and resources) in mediating perceived academic stress’ predicting hardiness. College students (M age = 21.7 years, SD = 3.63; 81% female, 16% male, 3% nonbinary/nonconforming; 59% diverse ethnic background, 41% European American) from a public, four-year university (N = 102) participated in an online survey regarding hardiness (Maddi et al., 2006), perceived academic stress (Bedewey & Gabriel, 2015), and stress appraisal ( i.e., threat, challenge, centrality, and resources; Roesch & Rowley, 2005). We hypothesized that: (H1) perceived academic stress will be negatively contributed to through appraisals of stress as a (H1a) challenge and (H1b) resourcefulness; and will be (H2) positively contributed to through appraisals of stress as (H2a) threatening and (H2b) potentially harmful, on hardiness. Perceived academic stress directly predicted hardiness, as well as threat (Figure 1a), challenge (Figure 1b), and resources (Figure 1c), but not centrality (Figure 1d). Hardiness was predicted by threat, challenge, centrality, and resources. Significant indirect effects were found for threat , challenge , and resources . These results suggest the reconceptualization of stressors as less threatening and enhanced perceptions of coping resources are influential in the development of the resilient beliefs and attitudes found in hardy individuals. Future avenues of research could test stress appraisal components experimentally in order to demonstrate a causal relationship with hardiness. These results could further inform the hardiness literature and illuminate internal mechanisms that may be influential in hardiness-based interventions.

Authors

• Kevin Doug Cherry, Humboldt State University
  Presenting Author

• Megan Davis, Humboldt State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Taylor Alexandra Salazar, Humboldt State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Bernardo Sosa-Rosales, Humboldt State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Tsolak M. Kirakosyan
  Non-Presenting Author

• Aaron Foster, Humboldt State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Edgar Jimenez-Madora, Humboldt State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Maria Mariscal, Humboldt State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kathryn Delluna, Humboldt State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Dennis A Estrada, Humboldt State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Maria I. Iturbide, Cal Poly Humboldt
  Non-Presenting Author

• Brandilynn Villarreal, Humboldt State University
  Non-Presenting Author