Stress is a normal part of life and can come from a variety of sources such as work, relationships, or personal challenges. While stress is unavoidable, the way in which we manage it can have a significant impact on our physical and mental well-being. A recent study conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University has found that younger adults, in particular, can benefit significantly from proactive coping skills to manage stress.

Proactive coping is an umbrella term for behaviors that allow people to avoid future stressors or prepare themselves to respond to those stressors. These can be behavioral, such as saving money to deal with unexpected expenses, or cognitive, such as visualizing how to deal with potential challenges. The goal of proactive coping is to help people continue to work towards their goals, even when dealing with challenges.

The study involved two experiments. The first study focused on skills that allowed people to concentrate on their goals when dealing with stressors. The researchers enlisted 223 people: 107 younger adults (ages 18-36) and 116 older adults (ages 60-90). Study participants completed an initial survey that focused on understanding goal-oriented proactive coping behaviors that the participants engaged in. The participants then completed daily surveys for the next eight days, recording the stressors they experienced each day, as well as their physical health symptoms. The researchers found that younger adults who consistently engaged in proactive coping, such as thinking about what they need in order to be successful, experienced fewer negative physical health symptoms on stressful days. However, there was no positive or negative effect of proactive coping for older adults.

The second study focused on efforts aimed at avoiding or preventing stressors. For this study, the researchers enlisted 140 people between the ages of 19 and 86. Study participants completed a baseline survey designed to capture their stress-prevention proactive coping behaviors. After that, the study participants completed daily surveys for 29 consecutive days, reporting on their daily stressors and physical health. The researchers found that adults between the ages of 19 and 36 who engaged in proactive coping reported little or no drop-off in physical health on stressful days, compared to adults in the same age range who engage in less proactive coping. However, as with the first study, proactive coping had no effect for older adults.

The findings of this study suggest that younger adults, in particular, can benefit significantly from proactive coping skills. These results are important for helping us work with people to build resilience, since proactive coping refers to skills that can be taught. As the study's lead author, Shevaun Neupert, stated, "The fact that we have two studies with the same results highlights the importance of proactive coping for younger adults when it comes to handling stress."

In conclusion, stress is a normal part of life and while it can't be avoided, the way we manage it can have a significant impact on our physical and mental well-being. The study conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University suggests that younger adults can benefit significantly from proactive coping skills to manage stress, and that such skills can be taught. It highlights the importance of starting to teach such skills to young people, starting with college-age young adults, but extending through to people who are established in adulthood.

Neupert, S. D., Smith, E. L., & Schriefer, M. L. (2022). A Coordinated Analysis of Physical Reactivity to Daily Stressors: Age and Proactive Coping Matter. Forecasting, 4(4), 1004–1018. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/forecast4040054

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some examples of proactive coping strategies that you can use to manage stress?

2. How does stress affect physical health?

3. Why do you think proactive coping had no effect on older adults in this study?

For more about psychological disorders take a look at Carter, K. (2022). Psychopathology: Understanding Psychological Disorders. Cambridge University Press.

www.cambridge.org/psychopathology