Date of Award

1995

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Health and Human Sciences

First Supervisor

Dr Mark Groves

Abstract

Researchers in the stress and coping field have developed a variety of "stress and coping" models to explain the interaction between stressors, social resources, coping styles, and distress symptoms (Edwards & Baglioni, 1990). The present study examined three models to explain the relationship between the variables: direct effect, buffering effect and mediating effect. This study examined effective and non-effective coping styles at work: accommodation, change, avoidance, devaluation, and symptom management. Data were collected on 120 white collar workers' state of mental exhaustion, somatic symptoms, role stressors, coping styles, and perceived social support. The utility of the three models was examined using multiple regression analysis. Support was found only for the direct effects model. Social support was not shown to have a buffering effect. Initial examination of the variables examined for coping styles suggested support for the buffering effect. However, the problem-focused coping style showed no significant relationship with distress symptoms, and both the emotion-focused and appraisal-focused coping styles positively correlated with reported distress. Data showed little support for the mediating effects mode implications include: (a) the causal process of models requires consideration of the bi-directional relationship among variables; (b) social factors may be more than levels of support, but potentially substantial stressors.

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