Perceived Stress, the Locus of Control and Self-Acceptance: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches

Stress is a complex challenge in modern society. Stress experience, on the one hand, is a reaction to internal or external situations or events, on the other hand, its intensity and specifics depend on one’s subjective characteristics. From this perspective, it is important to understand the mechanisms that mediate the perception of stress. The present paper addresses the association of perceived stress, a locus of control and self-acceptance. In this project, we empirically tested four models that suggest ways these three variables — perceived stress, the locus of control and self-acceptance — function. Education and economic status were taken as covariates in the models. Participants were 336 adults aged 20–60, mean age 38. Methods were perceived stress scale, a scale of self-acceptance, locus of control test by Rotter, and a demographical survey. Our study was based on two hypotheses: (1) locus of control is a stable characteristic that would determine the way one will react to stressful events; (2) perceived stress is a negative factor that can affect even stable personality characteristics such as locus of control. Our results showed that the model that best fitted the data was the one where perceived stress affected self-acceptance that in turn affected locus of control. Our data also suggested that education and economic status were protective factors that decreased negative influence of perceived stress on self-acceptance. Thus, our results revealed that perceived stress can negatively affect personality characteristics and decrease internal locus of control.

Lazarus R. Teoriia stressa i psikhofiziologicheskie issledovaniia [Theory of stress and psychological studies]. Emotsional’nyi stress [Emotional stress]. Ed. by L. Levi. Leningrad, Medicina Publ., 1970, pp. 178– 208. (In Russian)

Rotter J. B. Generalized expectancies for the internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 1966, no. 18, pp. 1–28.

Abouserie R. Sources and levels of stress in relation to locus of control and self-esteem in university students. Educational Psychology, 1994, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 323–331. Available at: https://doi. org/10.1080/0144341940140306 (accessed: 01.11.2018).

Gomez R. Locus of control and avoidant coping: Direct, interactional and mediational effects on maladjustment in adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 1998, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 325–334. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(97)00161-X (accessed: 01.11.2018).

Scott S. L., Marino Carper T., Middleton M., White R., Renk K., Grills-Taquechel A. Relationships among locus of control, coping behaviors, and levels of worry following exposure to hurricanes. Journal of Loss & Trauma, 2010, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 123–137. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/15325020902925985 (accessed: 01.11.2018).

Carton J. S., Nowicki S. Antecedents of individual differences in locus of control of reinforcement. A critical review. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 1994, vol. 120, no. 1, pp. 31–81.

Harrow M., Hansford B. J., Astrachan-Fletcher E. B. Locus of control: Relation to schizophrenia, to recovery, and to depression and psychosis: A 15-year longitudinal study. Psychiatry Research, 2009, vol. 168, no. 3, pp. 186–192. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2008.06.002.

Psikhologicheskaia zrelost’ lichnosti [Personality psychological maturity]. Ed. by L. A. Golovey. St. Petersburg, Skifiya Print, 2014, 239 p. (In Russian)

Frazier P., Steward J., Mortensen H. Perceived control and adjustment to trauma: Accomparison across events. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2004, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 303–324. Available at: https:// proxy.library.spbu.ru/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=as n&AN=13808858&lang=ru (accessed: 01.11.2018).

Clements C. M., Sabourin C. M., Spiby L. Dysphoria and hopelessness following battering: The role of perceived control, coping, and self-esteem. Journal of Family Violence, 2004, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 25–36. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOFV.0000011580.63593.96 (accessed: 01.11.2018).

Berns R. Razvitie Ia-kontseptsii i vospitanie [Self-concept and education]. Moscow, 1986, 422 p. (In Russian)

Orth U., Robins R. W., Meier L. L. Disentangling the Effects of Low Self-Esteem and Stressful Events on Depression: Findings From Three Longitudinal Studies. Journal Of Personality & Social Psychology, 2009, vol. 97, no. 2, pp. 307–321. doi: 10.1037/a0015645.

Rodrigues M. A., Wei X., Xiaoming W., Xinghua L. Self-Acceptance Mediates the Relationship Between Mindfulness and Perceived Stress. Psychological Reports, 2015, vol. 116, no. 2, pp. 513–522. doi:10.2466/07.PR0.116k19w4.

Strizhitskaia O. Iu. Samootnoshenie i vremennaia perspektiva lichnosti v period pozdnei vzroslosti [Self-attitude and time perspective in older adulthood]. Thesis of PhD Diss.]. SPbGU, 2006, 222 p. (In Russian)

Pufal-Struzik I. Self-acceptance and behaviour control in creatively gifted young people. High Ability Studies, 1998, vol. 9 (2), p. 197. Available at: https://proxy.library.spbu.ru/login?url=http://search.ebscohost. com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=asn&AN=1466015&lang=ru (accessed: 01.11.2018).

Ababkov V. A., Baryshnikova K., Vorontsova-Venger O. V., Gorbunov I. A., Kapranova S. V., Pologaeva E. A., Stuklov K. A. Validizatsiia russkoiazychnoi versii oprosnika «Shkala vosprinimaemogo stressa-10» [Validation of the Russian version of the questionnaire “Scale of Perceived Stress-10”]. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Series 16. Psychology. Education, 2016, no. 2, pp. 6–15. (In Russian)

Zhukovskaia L. V., Troshikhina E. G. Shkala psikhologicheskogo blagopoluchiia K. Riff [K. Ryff’s Scale of Psychological Well-being]. Psikhologicheskii zhurnal, 2011, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 82–93. (In Russian)

Bazhin E. F., Korneeva T. V., Etkind A. M. Metod issledovaniia urovnia sub”ektivnogo kontrolia [Method of study of subjective locus of control]. Psikhologicheskii zhurnal, 1983, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 152–162. (In Russian)

Kaplan G. A., Shema S. J., Leite C. M. A. Socioeconomic Determinants of Psychological Well- Being: The Role of Income, Income Change, and Income Sources During the Course of 29 Years. Annals of Epidemiology, 2008, vol. 18, no. 7, pp. 531–537. Available at: https://proxy.library.spbu.ru:2083/10.1016/j. annepidem.2008.03.006 (accessed: 01.11.2018).