The Role of Gender in Worry and Efforts to Cope during Stressful Waiting Periods

Abstract

Waiting for personally significant news is a near-universal experience, but people differ in how they cope with these acute moments of uncertainty. The present study examined whether self-identified men and women differ reliably in how they experience and cope with uncertain waiting periods, given societal pressures toward (for men) or against (for women) emotional experiences that may be relevant in these moments. Across 20 U.S. studies in field and laboratory settings (total n = 4714), we examined gender differences in worry and use of coping strategies during various waiting periods. We then explored whether gender moderated links between worry and use of coping strategies to determine whether gender meaningfully shapes the coping process or if worriers require a larger toolbox of coping strategies, regardless of their gender. Mini meta-analyses across our studies confirmed that women reported greater worry and greater use of coping strategies than did men. However, the relationships between gender and coping largely disappeared after controlling for worry, and gender did not consistently or strongly moderate the link between worry and coping. These findings suggest that despite apparent gender differences in the experience of stressful uncertainty, worry is a far more potent predictor of coping than is gender.