Review of psychology, Vol. 12 No. 2, 2005.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
The sources of stress and coping styles as mediators and moderators of the relationship between personality traits and physical symptoms
Jasna Hudek-Knežević
Igor Kardum
Barbara Kalebić Maglica
Sažetak
In order to better understand the relationship between stress and coping, it is important to understand and explain how and why, as well as when, and under what conditions the effects of various antecedent variables exert their effects on adaptational outcomes. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the mediating and moderating effects of various sources of stressful events and coping styles between dimensions of the five-factor model of personality and perceived frequency of physical symptoms. These problems were examined in a representative sample of 948 students from the fifth to the eight grade of elementary school.
The results of hierarchical regression analyses show that stressful events connected to relationships with teachers and parents/family significantly moderate the effects of neuroticism on physical symptoms. The frequency of physical symptoms increases more as a function of stress intensity connected to relationships with teachers in adolescents high in neuroticism than in emotionally stable adolescents, while an increase in stress intensity connected to relationships with parents/family increases the frequency of physical symptoms more in emotionally stable adolescents. When considering coping styles, only problem-focused coping moderates the effect of neuroticism on physical symptoms, so that in emotionally stable individuals an increase in problem-focused coping is related to a decrease in physical symptoms, while in individuals high in neuroticism it is related to an increase of the frequency of physical symptoms.
The results of two path analyses show that stressful events partly mediate the effects of neuroticism, conscientiousness, extraversion and openness/intellect on the frequency of physical symptoms. Regarding coping styles, emotion-focused coping partly mediates the effect of extraversion, and avoidance coping the effect of neuroticism on physical symptoms.
Ključne riječi
sources of stress; coping styles; personality traits; physical symptoms
Hrčak ID:
2313
URI
Datum izdavanja:
12.4.2006.
Posjeta: 2.506 *