Eve-Marie Blouin-Hudon, Carleton University, Patrick Gaudreau, & - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Eve-Marie Blouin-Hudon, Carleton University, Patrick Gaudreau, & Alexandre Gareau, University of Ottawa Presented at the 2 nd Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology, July 18 th , 2014

Self-regulation as a priority   Understand simultaneous contribution of goal motivation and affective states in predicting coping with academic stressors.  In turn, examine the contribution of coping strategies on affective experience.

Coping   “Cognitive and behavioural actions used by individuals to manage stress that is perceived as exceeding the resources of the person, while minimizing its emotional impact” (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984).

Coping   Disengagement-oriented strategies: emotional venting, behavioural disengagement, and denial.  Orient one’s attention away from the task.  Predict poor adjustment to college and greater distress when managing a stressful situation.

Coping   Task-oriented coping: active coping, planning, increased effort, positive reappraisal, and relaxation.  Generate a sense of mastery and control  Predicts increases in achievement, optimism, and well-being, positive affect.

Positive Affect   Pride, joy, interest, love  Patterns of thought to enhance cognitive flexibility and creativity (Fredrickson & Joiner, 2002)

Negative Affect   Worry, dislike, guilt  Narrows scope of attention and can impair social and cognitive development (Fredrickson, 2001)

Broaden-and-build theory (Fredrickson, 2001)   Pleasurable engagement - positive affect should fuel ability to cope with stressful and negative situations in a more task-oriented manner.  Unpleasurable engagement - negative affect should fuel the impulse to disengage from stressor.

Self-Concordance Model (Sheldon & Elliot, 1999)   Autonomous motivation: goals pursued in respect with a person’s intrinsic values, interests, passions and beliefs  Controlled motivation: goals pursued in order to avoid guilt and/or in order to obtain or avoid something in return

Present study   How can key assumptions of the Self-Concordance Model and the Broaden- and-Built Theory help us better understand academic coping?  How can affect reciprocate through coping during an acedemic semester?

Hypothesis 1a  Positive Task Affect Coping Autonomous Motivation

Hypothesis 1b  Negative Affect Disengagement Coping Controlled Motivation

Hypothesis 2a  Task Positive coping Affect

Hypothesis 2b  Negative Disengagement Affect coping

Hypothesis 4a  Positive Affect Positive Task Affect coping Autonomous Motivation

Hypothesis 4b  Negative Affect Negative Affect Disengagement coping Controlled Motivation

Method   Short-term prospective study  Following students before the first set of midterm exams (early October; Time 1) and after the second set of midterm exams (late November; Time 2.)  The sample included 272 students (79% females and 21% males)  163 completed both the Time 1 and the Time 2 questionnaires, yielding a retention rate of 64%.

Results Positive Positive Affect Positive Affect Task Affect coping Autonomous Motivation Negative Negative Affect Affect Negative Disengagement Affect coping Controlled Motivation

Conclusions   Fredrickson’s (2001) spillover hypothesis :  Enhanced psychological resilience from positive affective states are more likely to demonstrate subsequent increases in positive affect.  Positive affect + autonomous goals:  Complementary resources to facilitate a broadened form of self-regulatory effort when facing stressful situations.

Conclusions   Future work:  Determine if a sequence from task-oriented coping via goal progress could mediate the relation between autonomous goal motivation and change in positive affect states.

Implications   Upward spiral towards emotional well-being (Fredrickson & Joiner, 2002).  Translate to psychoeducational interventions?

Acknowledgements   Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)  Patrick Gaudreau and Alexandre Gareau

References   Lazarus, R.S. & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping . New-York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, Inc.  Folkman, S. & Moskowitz, J.T. (2000). Positive affect and the other side of coping. American Psychologist , 55, 647-654. Doi: 10.1037/0003-066x. 55.6.647  Gaudreau, P., Nicholls, A., & Levy, A.R. (2010). The Ups and Downs of Coping and Sport Achievement: An Episodic Process Analysis of Within- Person Associations. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology , 32, 298-311.  Billings, D.W., Folkman, S., Acree, M., Moskowitz, J.T., & Tedlie, J. (2000). Coping and Physical Health During Caregiving: The Roles of Positive and Negative Affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 79, 131-142. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.79.1.131  Thompson, A., & Gaudreau, P. (2008). From optimism and pessimism to coping: The mediating role of academic motivation. International Journal of Stress Management, 15 , 269-288. doi: 10.1037/a0012941  Burns, A.B., Brown, J.S., Sachs-Ericsson, N., Ashby Plant, E., Thomas, C.J., Fredrickson, B.L., & Joiner, T.E. (2008). Upward spirals of positive emotion and coping: Replication, extension, and initial exploration of neurochemical substrates. Personality and Individual Differences , 44, 360-370. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2007.08.015

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