Job newcomers coping with stressful situations: A micro-analysis of adequate coping and well-being 1

Aiming at a micro-analytic in-depth study of daily-life stress and coping and their effects on well-being, a new self-monitoring method combining event-based (stress episodes) and hourly time-based recordings (state monitoring of well-being indicators) has been developed and implemented on a palmtop computer. The study presents results of the first measures of a longitudinal design. N = 30 young adults entering the work force (nurses, cooks, electronic technicians, salesmen and bank clerks) are analyzed in this self-monitoring study, which includes training session, 15-day self-observation, and post-monitoring session. Subjects show good acceptance and compliance, and validity and reliability of the data are satisfying. Results reveal the stressful episodes recorded (compared to a student reference group) as less frequent but more “stressful”, the emotional stress reactions of the subjects as more anxious and angry. Coping behaviors evaluated through the behavior-rules approach (Reicherts, 1999) are rather functional. Agglutination of individual time series parameters reveals a marked, immediate impact of the stressful events on well-being indicators (e.g. mood, physical tension). Adequate coping has positive short-term effects in attenuating the stress impact on well-being and facilitates long-term adaptation (positive changes and well-being). Differences between occupational and non-occupational stress episodes are analyzed, and indications to enhance adequate coping of young adults are presented.