Secondary Cognitive Appraisal Research Articles

Stress, cognitive appraisal, and burnout in social workers of residential child care

Stress and burnout are global epidemics that may cause negative consequences for workers and organizations. Social workers of residential child care are especially at risk, due to the inherent characteristics of their work. Subsequently, this study aimed to analyse these professional’s stress, cognitive appraisal, and burnout. The sample included 92 social workers (90.2% female and 9.8% male) with ages between 25 and 64 years old (M = 38.08; SD = 7.91). The evaluation protocol included a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Stress Questionnaire for Health Professionals, the Primary and Secondary Cognitive Appraisal Scale, and the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results indicated that 58% of professionals assumed high levels of general stress, and that physical fatigue and cognitive weariness were the burnout dimensions with higher values. The combination of sociodemographic variables, stress factors and cognitive appraisal were important to explain the burnout experience and can contribute to design interventions directed to these professionals.

Re-assessing the Psychometric Properties of Stress Appraisal Measure in Ghana Using Multidimensional Graded Response Model.

Despite the widespread use of the stress appraisal measure questionnaire in sport psychology literature, information on the psychometric properties of this survey instrument across different cultures and samples is still lacking. This study sought to validate the stress appraisal measure among male football players in the Ghana’s Premier League using the multidimensional item response theory. The descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted to recruit 424 footballers from the 2020/2021 Ghana Premier League season using the census approach. The 28-item Stress Appraisal Measure was used to assess six (6) appraisal mechanisms under primary and secondary cognitive appraisals. The ordered polytomous item response theory was used for analyzing the data. The study found that although some items were problematic, the majority of them were found to have good item parameters, effective scale option functioning, and provided adequate empirical information in the measurement of stress appraisal. This research concluded that the stress appraisal measure has promising applicability among male footballers who participated in the premier league in Ghana. Future researchers are encouraged to re-validate the stress appraisal measure with a different sample to contribute to the understanding of the applicability of the instrument in non-western populations.

Identification of processes that mediate the impact of workplace violence on emergency department healthcare workers in the USA: results from a qualitative study

ObjectivesViolence towards emergency department healthcare workers is pervasive and directly linked to provider wellness, productivity and job satisfaction. This qualitative study aimed to identify the cognitive and behavioural processes impacted...

A Multigroup Analysis of the Effect of Cognitive Appraisal on Nurses' Psychological Distress.

Cognitive appraisal constitutes an important mechanism in the process of human adaptation to work environment and occupational stress. In this domain, nursing professionals are one of the occupational groups most affected by job stress, suffering high levels of psychological distress. The aims of this study were to analyze the moderator effect of shift work and the type of job contract on the relationship between work cognitive appraisal and nurses' psychological distress and to explore the interaction effect of the two moderator variables on that relationship. A sample comprised of 2,310 Portuguese registered nurses completed a sociodemographic and professional questionnaire: the Primary and Secondary Cognitive Appraisal Scale and the General Health Questionnaire-12. Data were analyzed through structural equation modeling and multigroup analyses considering the following groups: (a) "shift" versus "nonshift work"; (b) "precarious job contract" versus "nonprecarious job contract"; and (c) "shift and precarious" versus "shift and nonprecarious" versus "nonshift and precarious" versus "nonshift and nonprecarious." Data confirmed the invariance for the measurement model, but the structural model presented a significantly worse adjustment for all grouping variables, showing the moderator effect of shift work and job contract and of their interaction. Difference tests in structural path coefficients revealed that shift work moderated the relationship between challenge perception and psychological distress-which was stronger for shift work nurses-and that a higher threat perception was related to greater psychological distress, especially in nurses with a precarious job contract. Among the four categories of interaction between job contract and shift work, cognitive appraisal became central in predicting nurses' mental health, explaining more variance in the group that did shift work and had a nonprecarious job contract. The study results highlight the need to develop occupational health intervention programs to promote nurses' mental health, focusing on reducing work perception as a threat and on making nurses' jobs more challenging and controllable.

Détresse chez les préposés aux bénéficiaires en centre d'hébergement exposés à des symptômes comportementaux.

ABSTRACTCare aides working in nursing homes are often exposed to responsive behaviours in older adults living with Alzheimer's disease. As these behaviors may induce psychological distress, the current research aims to estimate the contribution of a set of variables on the psychological distress reported by care aides. Variables include perceived frequency of responsive behaviours, primary and secondary cognitive appraisal, and coping strategies. A total of ninety-two day care aides were recruited in nursing homes in the Quebec City area. Standard multiple regression was completed and findings show that frequency of responsive behaviours, primary appraisal of threat, secondary appraisal (feeling incapable of changing the situation) and seeking emotional support contribute to care aides' psychological distress. This study highlights the importance of responsive behaviours on the units and discusses the psychological mechanisms used by care aides.

The effect of perceived stress on life satisfaction : The mediating effect of self-efficacy.

Lazarus and Folkman's theory of cognitive appraisal of coping inspired the present study to test a mediation model examining the effects of self-efficacy on the relationship between perceived stress and life satisfaction. A total of 282 Korean undergraduate students participated in the present study. Perceived Stress Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Self Efficacy Scale were used for this study. A series of hierarchical regressions investigated the mediating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between perceived stress and life satisfaction. Results indicated that there was a partial mediation effect of self-efficacy on the relation between perceived stress and life satisfaction. The results supported the mediation of secondary cognitive appraisal (i.e., self-efficacy) on the relationship between primary cognitive appraisal (i.e., perceived stress) and life satisfaction among South Korean college students. Implications of the present study and future research suggestions are discussed.

Women's Behavioral Responses to Sexual Aggression: The Role of Secondary Cognitive Appraisals and Self-Regulation.

Sexual assault history, secondary cognitive appraisals, and a dual-process model of self-regulation were examined as predictors of women's intended behavioral responses to hypothetical sexual aggression. College women ( N = 435) read a sexually aggressive scenario and rated their intentions to engage in assertive, polite, and passive behavioral responses. Results indicated secondary cognitive appraisals predicted less assertive, more polite, and more passive responses. Good self-control predicted assertive and polite responses, while sexual assault history and poor regulation predicted passive responses. Poor regulation significantly moderated the relationship between secondary cognitive appraisals and passive behavioral responses. Implications for the prevention of sexual assault are discussed.

Stress and Psychological Health: Testing the Mediating Role of Cognitive Appraisal.

This study tested the mediating role of primary (e.g., threat and challenge perceptions) and secondary (e.g., coping potential and control perception) cognitive appraisal in the relationship between occupational stress and psychological health. This mediation was tested using a cross-sectional study based on self-reported measures. The total sample consisted of 2,302 nurses, 1,895 females (82.3%) and 407 males (17.7%), who completed an evaluation protocol with measures of occupational stress, cognitive appraisal, and psychological health. To test the mediating role of cognitive appraisal in the relationship between cognitive appraisal and psychological health, we used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results confirmed that primary and secondary cognitive appraisals partially mediated the relationship between occupational stress and psychological health; however, the direct effects of stress on psychological health cannot be ignored. The findings indicated that cognitive appraisal is an important underlying mechanism in explaining adaptation at work.

Cognitive appraisal as a mediator in the relationship between stress and burnout

The relation between job stressors and burnout is well established in the literature. However, the mechanisms behind this relationship are still not clear. This study has the main goal of analysing the mediating role of cognitive appraisal in the relation between occupational stress and burnout. Cognitive appraisals comprise primary appraisals, which are of the significance of a situation to the individual, and secondary appraisals, which involve evaluating the individual's ability to cope with stressors. To test the relationship between appraisals, stress and burnout, structural equation modelling was used in a sample of academic teaching staff (N = 333) working at a public university in Portugal. The participants completed a survey with measures that included their level of stress, cognitive appraisals of aspects of their work, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Educators Survey. The results indicated perceptions of distinct sources of stress on their work activity and a relation between stress, cognitive appraisal and burnout. Most importantly, the results showed that primary and secondary cognitive appraisals partially mediated the relationship between occupational stress and burnout at work, making the relationship between these variables a promising underlying mechanism for explaining responses to work-related stress.

Using Appraisal Theory to Predict Emotional and Coping Responses to Hurtful Messages

Based on appraisal theory (Lazarus 1991; 1999), this study examined the degree to which primary and secondary cognitive appraisals of hurtful messages predict the amountof hurt individuals feel, and the coping behaviors they enact. This study presents a significant step forward in its operationalization of both primary and secondary appraisal variables by treating hurt as an outcome, rather than an antecedent, of the appraisal process, and considers an extensive range of coping responses. We surveyed participants (N = 217) about hurtful messages they received within an array of relationship types. The results revealed that fours types of appraisals predicted the amount of hurt recipients experienced. All coping behaviors except positive reappraisal were significantly predicted by the primary appraisals (categories of risk) and secondary appraisals (perceived intentionality and frequency of hurtful messages). The findings explicate appraisal theory’s potential in explaining individuals’ responses to hurtful communication.

Neurocognitive function and state cognitive stress appraisal predict cortisol reactivity to an acute psychosocial stressor in adolescents

Stress and associated alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function have deleterious influence on the development of multiple mental and physical health problems. Prior research has aimed to identify individuals most at risk for the development of these stress-related maladies by examining factors that may contribute to inter-individual differences in HPA responses to acute stress. The objectives of this study were to investigate, in adolescents, (1) whether differences in neurocognitive abilities influenced cortisol reactivity to an acute stressor, (2) whether internalizing psychiatric disorders influenced this relationship, and (3) whether acute cognitive stress-appraisal mechanisms mediated an association between neurocognitive function and cortisol reactivity. Subjects were 70 adolescents from a community sample who underwent standardized neurocognitive assessments of IQ, achievement, and declarative memory measures at mean age 14 and whose physiological and behavioral responses to a standardized psychosocial stress paradigm (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST) were assessed at mean age 18. Results showed that, among all adolescents, lower nonverbal memory performance predicted lower cortisol reactivity. In addition, internalizing disorders interacted with verbal memory such that the association with cortisol reactivity was strongest for adolescents with internalizing disorders. Finally, lower secondary cognitive appraisal of coping in anticipation of the TSST independently predicted lower cortisol reactivity but did not mediate the neurocognitive-cortisol relationship. Findings suggest that declarative memory may contribute to inter-individual differences in acute cortisol reactivity in adolescents, internalizing disorders may influence this relationship, and cognitive stress appraisal also predicts cortisol reactivity. Developmental, research, and clinical implications are discussed.

Does psychological adjustment of melanoma survivors differs between genders?

Survival rates of cancer have significantly increased. However, cancer survivors face physical, psychological and social difficulties, while adjusting to post-illness status. We examined between-gender differences in the psychological adjustment (mental well-being, distress and subjective level of functioning), the putative origin of those differences, and the roles of cognitive appraisal, hardiness and attachment style in the psychological adjustment of melanoma survivors. Our sample included 300 malignant melanoma survivors (182 women and 118 men). Most were diagnosed in stages IA and IB of the disease, and had no evidence of disease for 5 years or more. Participants completed self-report questionnaires regarding personal data, adjustment measured by sense of well-being, distress and subjective functioning, cognitive appraisal (primary and secondary) and personal resources (hardiness and attachment style). Between-gender differences were revealed in psychological adjustment and in various components of cognitive appraisal and attachment styles. Women revealed more distress, less secondary cognitive appraisal and were more secure in attachment styles. Men showed higher secondary appraisal and were more dismissing-avoidant in attachment. No between-group differences were found in mental well-being, subjective functioning, and primary cognitive appraisal or in the global measure of hardiness. We present social processes that seem to account for gender differences in behavior and response to stress, and psychological explanations for these findings. This study contributes to the field of psycho-oncology by identifying factors that promote adjustment among melanoma survivors.

Trait Anger, Appraisal, and Coping Differences Among Adolescent Tennis Players

The purpose of this study was to determine whether high-trait-anger adolescent athletes appraise and cope with anger-provoking events differently than lower-trait-anger athletes. A second purpose was to assess gender differences in anger appraisal and coping. A sample of 103 competitive adolescent tennis players completed the Adolescent Anger Rating Scale (Burney, 2001), the coping function questionnaire (Kowalski & Crocker, 2001), and measures of primary and secondary cognitive appraisals of recent anger provoking events. High-trait-anger athletes used significantly more problem- and emotion-focused coping strategies than those who scored lower. Additionally, those participants who scored higher in reactive anger reported significantly more anger outbursts than those who scored lower. No gender differences were observed. Applied cognitive and behavioral recommendations are discussed.

Effects of Alcohol Intoxication and Victimization History on Women's Sexual Assault Resistance Intentions: The Role of Secondary Cognitive Appraisals

This study used an experimental paradigm to investigate the role of secondary cognitive appraisals in women's sexual assault resistance and whether these appraisals mediated influences of alcohol and prior victimization. After consuming a beverage (control, placebo, moderate, or high dose), 351 women projected themselves into a simulated interaction with a sexually aggressive man. Four types of secondary appraisals (shock at the man's behavior, concern about his feelings, uncertainty in the situation, conflict about what to do) and three resistance strategies (assertive, polite, passive) were examined. Path modeling revealed that, as expected, intoxication and prior sexual victimization influenced secondary appraisals, which in turn influenced intended resistance. Prior adult sexual assault (ASA) and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) also had direct effects: ASA negatively predicted assertive resistance and CSA positively predicted passivity. Findings suggest that secondary appraisals are key targets for intervention to facilitate effective resistance, thereby reducing the risk of adult sexual victimization.

Expected and Unexpected Stressors in Major International Competition: Appraisal, Coping, and Performance

The purpose of this study was to investigate appraisals and coping of elite athletes when facing expected versus unexpected stressors. Questionnaires were sent to all New Zealand athletes competing at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, and 91 athletes provided responses inside three weeks of the closing ceremony. A stressful experience that had occurred prior to or during their most important performance was identified by 71 althletes. Analysis revealed significant differences in the way athletes cognitively appraised expected and unexpected stressors. Unexpected stressors were perceived as more threatening than expected stressors. Athletes also indicated a significantly greater tendency to hold back or hesitate from responding or acting in the face of unexpected stressors in comparison to expected stressors. Athletes employed a variety of strategies to help them cope with their most stressful experience. Stressor expectedness, however, was not related to coping use or performance and coping evaluations. Finally, a modest but significant relationship was observed between coping strategy effectiveness and coping automaticity. These findings suggest that competitively functional primary and secondary cognitive appraisals of stressors may result from the preparation of athletes for potentially distressing events and circumstances associated with major international competitions.

The Effects of Dispositional and Situational Coping, Perceived Social Support, and Cognitive Appraisal on Immediate Outcome

Summary: The effects of coping styles and strategies, perceived social support, and primary and secondary cognitive appraisal on immediate outcome were examined in this study. Two theoretical models were tested via linear structural equation modelling (LISREL VI) on a sample of 116 women. The first model was derived from the structural approach to stress and coping, while the second was based primarily on a theoretical position of the transactional approach to stress and coping process. Both models were tested twice, by taking into account appraisal of threat and appraisal of controllability. The results indicate the importance of cognitive appraisals and their effects on adaptational outcomes, situational coping efforts as well as their mediating role between some coping resources and adaptational outcomes. The main differences obtained in the models tested account for the type of cognitive appraisal included in the analyses. The appraisal of threat proved to be a more central component of stressful experience than appraisal of controllability. The results also show that dispositional as well as situational coping strategies exert relatively weak effects on immediate outcome.

Hypochondriacal concerns, somatosensory amplification, and primary and secondary cognitive appraisals.

This paper uses data from four studies (N = 150, 150, 154 and 79) to examine the associations between hypochondriacal concerns (HCs) and stress appraisals (primary and secondary). A search activity account of HCs suggests that increased levels of HCs should be associated with positive appraisals of a stressful situation (i.e., increased levels of perceived challenge and perceived control). However, the results indicated that in terms of primary appraisals, increased perceptions of threat and not challenge were consistently associated with increased levels of HCs. Further, the results indicated that the association between threat and HCs is mediated by somatosensory amplification. Consistent with the search activity account it is shown that increased levels of perceived control (secondary appraisals) are associated with increased levels of HCs. The association for perceived control remains once variance due to somatosensory amplification is partialled and generalizes to a sample of patients with a sexually transmitted infection. The results are interpreted in relation to the transactional model of the stress process.

The relation of coping, appraisal, and burnout in mental health workers.

This study was undertaken as an attempt to determine the relationship between individual coping (in response to stressful work events) and concomitant symptoms of burnout and the relationship between coping and burnout as moderated by secondary cognitive appraisal. Professional mental health workers (N = 234) employed by a state psychiatric facility completed the Ways of Coping Checklist (revised) (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and a measure of secondary appraisal, after reporting a typical stressful work event. They also completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson, 1986) and a demographic questionnaire. Results suggested that individual coping was related to burnout. Escape-avoidance was the primary coping strategy related to all three symptoms of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment. Secondary appraisal did not moderate the relation of coping and burnout.