Premium
The possible benefits of difficulty: How stress can increase and decrease subjective well‐being
Author(s) -
KARLSEN ELIN,
DYBDAHL RAGNHILD,
VITTERSØ JOAR
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2006.00549.x
Subject(s) - psychology , coping (psychology) , norwegian , distress , structural equation modeling , clinical psychology , stress (linguistics) , well being , cognition , developmental psychology , social psychology , psychotherapist , psychiatry , linguistics , statistics , philosophy , mathematics
This study explores the effects of stress, trauma, coping and growth orientation on subjective well‐being. Based on cognitive stress theory, it was hypothesized that adversity may contribute to increased or decreased well‐being, depending on the subsequent meaning these experiences are given. Survey data from Norwegian UN/NATO veterans ( N = 142) showed that stress and well‐being were negatively associated ( r =−0.20, p < 0.05) at the level of zero‐order correlations. However, a full structural equation model revealed that the effect of stress on well‐being was mediated positively through a problem‐focused coping process combined with a growth component. Stress was negatively mediated through an avoidant‐focused coping process and a distress component. The effect from stress was fully mediated in the model. The hypothesis that stress can produce both increased and decreased subjective well‐being was confirmed.