Abstract
We test the hypothesis that changes in physical and psychological health are associated with construals of stressful life events. At two points in time, approximately 10 years apart, participants (n = 1038) rated their physical health and psychological distress. At the second assessment, participants also reported their most stressful life event since the first assessment and indicated whether they considered the event a turning point and/or lesson learned. Lower self-ratings of health and higher ratings of psychological distress, controlling for baseline health and distress, and relevant demographic factors, were associated with perceiving the stressful life event as a turning point, particularly a negative turning point. The two health measures were primarily unrelated to lessons learned. How individuals construe the most stressful events in their lives are associated with changes in self-rated health and distress.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 479-492 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Anxiety, Stress and Coping |
Volume | 23 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2010 |
Keywords
- Lesson learned
- Life story
- Physical health
- Psychological distress
- Stressful life event
- Turning points
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Psychiatry and Mental health