The Role Of Sense Of Coherence In Stressor Appraisal

Abstract

According to the transactional theory of stress, cognitive individual differences impact stressor appraisal. Sense of Coherence (SoC) refers to an individual's generalized perception of environmental stimuli. Individuals with a strong SoC perceive the world as more comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful and may be more likely to appraise work-related stressors as having potential for opportunities (challenges) than for obstructing personal gain (hindrances) or causing harm (threats). This study assessed the role of SoC in the appraisal of work-related stressors as challenges, hindrances, and threats. Although an individual's SoC remains relatively stable upon reaching adulthood, there is a positive association between age and SoC across the lifespan. This study examined the moderating effect of age on the relationship between SoC and stressor appraisal. Two statistical techniques were applied, with one set of results supporting the hypothesis and the other set revealing significant relationships between stressor appraisal tendencies and the three SoC subdimensions. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would especially like to thank my parents for their endless love and support throughout my academic career, and I want to thank my family and friends for their help and generosity. I would also like to thank my thesis chair, Dr. Chris Cunningham, for his constant guidance, encouragement, and dedication in helping me with this project. Thank you to Dr. Amanda Clark for her mentorship and to my committee members, Dr. Brian O'Leary and Dr. David Ferrier, for generously sharing their knowledge and offering advice throughout the process. I would like to thank all those who have contributed to this area of research and to those who are dedicated to improving occupational health and well-being. Finally, I am grateful to each of my amazing classmates, who have inspired and supported me along this journey. vi

Stressor Appraisal on a Pathway to Health: The Role of the Sense of Coherence

“…I discovered no study intending to measure all three appraisal outcomes. But Brady's (2017) findings in the USA on challenge, hindrance and threat appraisal are consistent with the predictions of H3, and all three studies by Braun-Lewehsohn and her colleagues (2011,2018,2019) provide support for the danger dimension in H3.…”

“…So, there is some evidence supportive of H3, but only indirectly so. The measures used by Brady (2017) and Braun-Lewehsohn and colleagues (ibid) were not selected explicitly to test H3. But it may be that indirect tests are all that can be expected.…”

“…(Antonovsky, 1990a, p 40-41). Brady (2017) undertook a meticulous examination of appraisal à la H3. She studied 591 American graduate students with paid employment alongside studies and adults who were full-time employees working at least 34 hours per week.…”

Examining the challenge-hindrance-threat distinction of job demands alongside job resources

“…Prominent examples of this demand category are concerns with job security (Cavanaugh et al, 2000) and role ambiguity (Tuckey et al, 2015). Being present in most work environments and experienced across different occupations (Wiegand et al, 2012;Brady and Cunningham, 2019), both job hindrances have been found to have negative consequences for employee's attitudes and their health (Rizzo et al, 1970;Sverke et al, 2002;Schmidt et al, 2014). In contrast, job challenges are referred to as "work-related demands or circumstances that, although potentially stressful, have associated gains for the individuals" (O'Brien and Beehr, 2019, p. 963).…”

“…An experimental study among undergraduate students examined the differential relations of threats and hindrances on performance outcomes (Espedido and Searle, 2018). Moreover, a recent cross-sectional study among full-time workers and students working part-time successfully included the concept of threat stressors when examining common psychosocial workplace stressors (Brady and Cunningham, 2019). Yet, most research conducted within the field of occupational health continues to apply the C-H perspective to the examination of work-related stressors, equalizing hindrances with threats (Tuckey et al, 2015;Espedido and Searle, 2018).…”