6533b7d9fe1ef96bd126b8ec
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Searching for a job: Cardiac responses to acute stress and the mediating role of threat appraisal in young people.
M. ZandaraAlicia SalvadorM. Garcia-lluchCarolina VilladaVanesa HidalgoVanesa Hidalgosubject
AdultMaleAnxiety050105 experimental psychology03 medical and health sciencesSeekersYoung Adult0302 clinical medicineHeart RateTrier social stress testHumans0501 psychology and cognitive sciencesAcute stressJob interviewApplied Psychology05 social sciencesStressorJob attitudeCognitionGeneral MedicineSelf EfficacyPsychiatry and Mental healthClinical PsychologyUnemploymentFemalePsychologyPsychosocial030217 neurology & neurosurgeryStress PsychologicalClinical psychologydescription
Being unemployed and looking for a job has become a source of stress for many people in several European countries. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of this stressful situation on the individuals' psychophysiological stress responses. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of being an unemployed job seeker on cognitive threat appraisal and cardiac responses to a psychosocial stressor. We exposed a group of unemployed job seekers (N = 42) and a matched group of unemployed non-job seekers (N = 40) to a standardized social stressor in form of job interview, the Trier Social Stress Test. Our results showed that unemployed job seekers manifest lower cardiac responses, along with a lower cognitive threat appraisal, compared to non-job seekers. Moreover, we observed a full mediating role of cognitive threat appraisal on the relationship between being an unemployed job seeker and cardiac responses to stress. These findings reveal that being unemployed and looking for a job has an effect on physiological responses to acute stress, as well as the importance of psychological process related to the situation. These responses might lead to negative health and motivational consequences. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
year | journal | country | edition | language |
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2016-09-08 | Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress |