Reframing the individual stress response: Balancing our knowledge of stress to improve responsivity to stressors

Abstract

Although responses to stressors have both adverse and positive consequences on health, many believe that stress is entirely negative. Research revealed that negative beliefs about stress can hinder well-being and result in the avoidance of stressors. Stress-optimizing interventions that target various stress appraisal processes may be a useful tool to reframe how individuals understand and respond to stressors. The current study extends previous findings on stress reframing and sought to examine the extent to which the presentation of information about stress outcomes may influence the individual to respond to subsequent stressors. Seventy-seven undergraduate students (96% female) were randomized into one of four reframing conditions (balanced stress outcomes, negative stress outcomes, positive stress outcomes, and control) and underwent a psychosocial stressor. Results highlight similarities between balanced and positive framings of stress across measures of heart rate and blood pressure, whereas subjective ratings of stress and electrodermal activity suggest balanced framing may be efficacious in attenuating stress. Findings are discussed in the context of differing stress-optimizing interventions and consider the complexities of the individual stress response.

Keywords: stress; stress appraisal; stress coping; stress response.