Stress and adaptive coping don’t interact in predicting outcomes

Abstract

In two studies, we tested the combined effects of stress, adaptive coping, and the stress x adaptive coping interaction on outcomes. In Study 1, undergraduates (N = 177) answered questions measuring daily hassles, adaptive coping, and the positive outcomes of personal-emotional, academic, and social adjustment to university. In Study 2, undergraduates (N = 120) answered questions measuring major life events, hassles, adaptive coping, and the negative outcomes of perceived stress, psychiatric symptomatology, and somatization. The complete absence of interactions between stressors and adaptive coping in both studies contradicts our hypothesized moderation of stress-based adverse outcomes by adaptive coping. Strong main effects of both daily hassles and adaptive coping were nonetheless notable for all outcomes in both studies. Theoretically, these results contradict the moderation hypothesis. In applied terms, they nonetheless indicate that adaptive coping is an especially useful personal quality for dealing effectively with stress.