The costly burden of an inauthentic self: insecure self-esteem predisposes to emotional exhaustion by increasing reactivity to negative events.
Anxiety Stress Coping
; 30(6): 630-646, 2017 Nov.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27852105
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
A long research tradition has investigated the impact of stress on university students by assuming that individuals have a limited reservoir of resources, and that negative events and circumstances progressively drain resources thereby producing exhaustion. A recent research tradition, instead, has focused on the detrimental consequences of discrepant levels of implicit (ISE) and explicit (ESE) self-esteem on the development of stress-related symptoms. The present research attempted to merge the aforementioned approaches, with the aim of explaining significant predictors of stress.DESIGN:
Within the framework of a Longitudinal Structural Equation Model, we followed a moderated-mediated approach.METHOD:
A sample of university students (N = 209; 66% females) completed a questionnaire battery including measures of ISE, ESE, perceptions of negative events, and emotional exhaustion. Participants were assessed once a week for eight consecutive weeks.RESULTS:
ISE significantly moderated the relationship between ESE and negative events; in turn, the latter significantly predicted emotional exhaustion. Monte Carlo method for assessing mediation showed that negative events significantly mediated the relationship between incongruent self-esteem and emotional exhaustion.CONCLUSIONS:
The detrimental role of incongruent self-esteem has been corroborated. Practical implications and suggestions for future research dealing with stress in a university setting were provided.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Self Concept
/
Stress, Psychological
/
Ego
/
Emotions
/
Fatigue
Type of study:
Health_economic_evaluation
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Anxiety Stress Coping
Journal subject:
CIENCIAS DO COMPORTAMENTO
/
PSICOLOGIA
Year:
2017
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Italy