Relationship of Appraisal, Coping, and Personal Resources on Four Outcomes of COVID Related Stressor

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic thrust a wide variety of stressors on people. We looked at four possible measured outcomes to those stressors across three different groups: individuals continuously employed, individuals whose employment was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and non-employed university students. No significant differences were found between those groups on the outcomes of negative affect, positive affect, subjective wellbeing, and thriving. However, unique patterns of association were found for the different outcomes in perceived stress, personal resources (psychological capital (PsyCap) and loneliness), stress appraisal, and coping styles. Both bivariate correlations and multiple regression analyses showed significant results. PsyCap and loneliness were significant for different outcomes. An approximate mirror image of coping styles was evident between negative affect and subjective wellbeing. Threat appraisal was the only stress appraisal to rise to the level of significance. Although different patterns of appraisal and coping were significant for most outcomes, thriving only correlated with the internal resource of PsyCap. The different patterns of perceived stress, personal resources stress appraisal and coping indicate that the four outcomes measure different constructs and have different patterns of association following the cognitive-phenomenological framework of stress and coping.