Seeing into the future: The role of future-oriented coping and daily stress appraisal in relation to a future stressor.

Abstract

Recent research has identified the value of distinguishing between employee's appraisals of their work-based challenge, hindrance, and threat job demands, and of how employee's future-oriented coping is associated with key occupational outcomes. The current study extends this research by assessing the extent to which employee's proactive and preventive coping techniques each directly and indirectly predicted challenge, hindrance and threat appraisals. Utilizing a daily diary design, 89 undergraduate students completed five daily surveys focused on a common future stressor. Results suggested daily appraisals do not change as much as expected, with only challenge appraisals reducing across the 5-day period. However, both proactive and preventive coping moderated daily stress appraisals, such that when proactive coping was high, challenge appraisals increased and hindrance appraisals decreased. Similarly, preventive coping appeared to reduce both hindrance and threat appraisals. Theoretical and practical implications of the multi-level and dynamic nature of appraisals and future-oriented coping are discussed.