A challenge or a hindrance? Understanding the effects of stressors and thriving on life satisfaction.

Abstract

In this research, we develop a theoretical model that links a 2-dimensional model of stressors to individual thriving, resilience, and life satisfaction to examine the possibility that some stressors may actually be beneficial. We test this model across a 10-week period with 189 university students. Our findings indicate that while hindrance stressors diminish appraisals of life satisfaction, challenge stressors promote life satisfaction. Additionally, we find that thriving mediates the relationships between stressors and life satisfaction. A further moderated mediation examination demonstrates how resilience influences thriving as an intervening mechanism by buffering the negative indirect effects in the hindrance stressor–life satisfaction relationship. Our results provide initial support for understanding the psychological mechanisms that explain the differential relationships between stressors and life satisfaction. Although stressful experiences can never be fully avoided, our results provide some hope that resilient individuals can still thrive in stressful environments that promote personal challenges and achievement.

Thriving at work: A meta‐analysis

“…In addition, perceived stress is likely to discourage employees from acquiring new knowledge and skills (LePine, LePine, & Jackson, ), thus diminishing the experience of learning at work. Different forms of perceived stress, including perceptions of hindrance stressors and role stressors, have been found to be negatively related to thriving (Cullen, Gerbasi, & Chrobot‐Mason, ; Flinchbaugh et al, ; Helfer, ).Hypothesis Perceived stress is negatively related to thriving at work.…”

“…When facing difficulties and setbacks during their work activities, they will invest greater effort, persist longer, and, thus, learn more and at a higher level than those with lower psychological capital. Indeed, psychological capital has been shown to be positively related to thriving at work (Flinchbaugh, Luth, & Li, ; Paterson et al, ).Hypothesis Psychological capital is positively related to thriving at work.…”

What Shade of Spirituality? Exploring Spirituality, Religiosity, Meaning Making, and Thriving Among Latina/o Undergraduates

“…Carver (1998) suggested that the outcomes or gains of thriving can consist of skills, knowledge, confidence, and stronger personal relationships. Other research has supported this assertion and has found thriving to be linked to life satisfaction (Flinchbaugh, Luth, & Li, 2015) and improvements in overall well-being, relationship quality, positive future outlook, sense of purpose in life, and ability to handle daily stressors (Sirois & Hirsch, 2013). Although it is unclear how thriving leads to more effective functioning, some research has suggested that thriving may serve as a protective factor against certain risks such as anxiety (Morgan Consoli et al, 2015).…”

Thriving at Work: A Meta-Analysis

“…In addition, perceived stress is likely to discourage employees from acquiring new knowledge and skills (LePine, LePine, & Jackson, 2004), thus diminishing the experience of learning at work. Different forms of perceived stress, including perceptions of hindrance stressors and role stressors, have been found to be negatively related to thriving (Cullen, Gerbasi, & Chrobot-Mason, 2018;Flinchbaugh et al, 2015;Helfer, 2017).…”

“…If a credibility interval includes zero, moderators are likely present (Schmidt & Hunter, 2015). Analyses of zeroorder relationships were conducted using the "psychometric" package for R (Fletcher, 2015). Follow-up exploratory and sensitivity analyses were conducted using the "metafor" package for R (Viechtbauer, 2010).…”