Skip to main content

Master of Public Health

A stress-is-enhancing mindset is associated with lower traumatic stress symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic

AUTHORS

Williams SE , Ginty AT , . Anxiety, stress, and coping. 2023 11 15; (). 1-12

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A stress-is-enhancing mindset is associated with lower perceived stress and better coping. However, work examining the prospective associations of stress mindset on perceived traumatic stress symptoms during a stressful real-world life event is limited. The present prospective study explored whether stress-is-enhancing mindset measured before the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic was associated with later traumatic stress symptoms in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

METHODS: University students (N = 179; 68% female;  = 19.31, 0.79 years) completed the Stress Mindset Measure (SMM) prior to COVID-19 pandemic onset as part of a larger study. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic was completed 1 year into the pandemic.

RESULTS: SMM negatively predicted the IES-R subscales intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal such that a more stress-is-enhancing mindset was associated with lower intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal following the onset of COVID-19.

CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest a more positive stress mindset is associated with fewer traumatic stress symptoms following a traumatic life event. Altering stress mindset may be an avenue for future interventions to cope with stress.

Tags: