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Positive affectivity predicts successful and unsuccessful adaptation to stress

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Abstract

This study examined adaptation to work stress among public school teachers (n = 267). Regression analyses tested whether positive affect predicted successful and unsuccessful adaptation to stress (viz., resilience and burnout, respectively) after controlling for demographic characteristics and work stress. Positive affect was largely correlated with resilience (r = .65, p < .001) and burnout (r = −.57, p < .001). The regression of resilience showed that positive affect had a direct effect (β = .66, p < .001) and the total model explained 44 % of the variance (R 2 Change = 37 %). In the regression of burnout, positive affect also had a direct effect (β = −.41, p < .001) and the total model explained 52 % of the variance (R 2 Change = 14 %). Further analyses found no significant interaction between work stress and positive affect, but revealed that positive affect completely mediated the effect of work stress on resilience. Results provide support for the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, particularly the theory’s building and undoing effects.

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Notes

  1. Interestingly, the unexpected drop in the significance of work stress suggested that positive affect could be mediating the link between work stress and resilience. To analyze this model, we used Preacher and Hayes’ (2008) INDIRECT macro with the bootstrapping method to determine if positive affect actually mediated the relationship between work stress and resilience, while controlling for demographic covariates (viz., years taught, award recipient, secondary school, female, minority, and advanced degre). Results revealed significant direct paths between work stress and positive affect (b = −.09, p < .001), and between positive affect and resilience (b = .66, p < .001). After controlling for the effects of positive affect and the set of demographic controls, the direct relationship between work stress and resilience was nonsignificant (b = .01, p > .05), indicating that positive affect fully mediated the link between work stress and resilience. The control variables had nonsignificant relationships with resilience, except for female (b = 2.50, p < .05) which indicated that female teachers reported greater resilience than males. The indirect effect of work stress on resilience via positive affect was significant (b = −.06) at 99 % confidence interval across three types of point estimates (viz., percentile, bias corrected, and bias corrected and accelerated). Taking together the direct and indirect effects, the total effect of work stress on resilience was significant (b = −.05, p < .05). The overall model accounted for 45 % of the total variance in resilience.

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Correspondence to Mary A. Steinhardt.

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Gloria, C.T., Faulk, K.E. & Steinhardt, M.A. Positive affectivity predicts successful and unsuccessful adaptation to stress. Motiv Emot 37, 185–193 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-012-9291-8

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