The Influence of University Students’ Stress Mindsets on Health and Performance Outcomes

Abstract

Background: Emerging evidence indicates that holding particular stress mindsets have favorable implications for peoples' health and performance under stress. Purpose: The aim of the current study was to examine the processes by which implicit and explicit stress mindsets relate to health-and performance-related outcomes. Specifically, we propose a stress beliefs model in which somatic responses to stress and coping behaviors mediate the effect of stress mindsets on outcomes. Methods: Undergraduate university students (N = 218, n = 144 female) aged 17 to 25 years completed measures of stress mindset, physical and psychological wellbeing, perceived stress, somatic responses to stress, proactive behaviors under stress, and an implicit association test assessing an implicit stress mindset. At the end of the semester, students' academic performance was collected from university records. Results: Path analysis indicated significant indirect effects of stress mindset on psychological wellbeing and perceived stress through proactive coping behaviors and somatic symptoms. Stress mindset directly predicted perceived stress and physical wellbeing, and physical wellbeing and academic performance were predicted by stress mindset through perceived somatic symptoms. Implicit stress mindset did not predict proactive behavior as anticipated. Conclusions: Current findings indicate that behaviors with the goal of proactively meeting demands under stress and perceived somatic symptoms are important mediators of the effect of stress mindset on health-and performance-related outcomes. The findings from this study provide formative data which can inform the development of future interventions aiming to encourage more adaptive responses to stress.

Changing Stress Mindsets with a Novel Imagery Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…For further details of the study design and procedure, see the study pre-registration: https://osf.io/en7q8/ Intervention development and optimization. The intervention materials were developed based on examples and mechanisms identified in our prior research (Keech et al, 2018); the three domains of stress mindset (performance and productivity, health and vitality, and learning and growth; Crum et al, 2013); and best-practice techniques for mental imagery interventions (Conroy & Hagger, 2018;Hamilton, Keech, Peden, & Hagger, 2019). Prior to recording, the imagery scripts were reviewed by a panel of experts, and by two members of the target population.…”

“…Perceived somatic symptoms. Perceived somatic symptoms was measured using the Keech et al, 2018). However, rather than in general, the questions were modified to reference the past two weeks for this study.…”

“…greater perceived physical health and wellbeing, and better academic performance when experiencing ecological stressors (Casper, Sonnentag, & Tremmel, 2017;Keech, Hagger, O'Callaghan, & Hamilton, 2018).…”

Psychometric Properties of the Stress Control Mindset Measure in University Students from Australia and the UK

“…The measure was designed to include different indicators, as opposed to psychometrically devised subscales, that can be combined in different ways to fit different uses (Moriarty et al, 2003). Consistent with Keech et al (2018), we used two items that are measured in days. Participants indicated the number of days their physical health was not good or that pain interfered with their daily activities in the past month (e.g., "Now thinking about your physical health, which includes physical illness and injury, for how many days during the past 30 days was your physical health not good?")…”

“…Proactive coping behavior. Proactive coping behavior was measured using the sixitem proactive under stress scale (Keech, Hagger, O'Callaghan, & Hamilton, 2018).…”