How do you think about stress? A qualitative analysis of beliefs about stress. (December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kilby, Christopher Jon; Sherman, Kerry A; Wuthrich, Viviana
• Is Part Of: Journal of health psychology. Volume 26:Number 14(2021)
• Page Start: 2756
• Page End: 2767
• Publication Date: 2021-12
• Subjects: beliefs -- psychological distress -- qualitative methods -- stress -- stress-related growth; Clinical health psychology -- Periodicals; 613.019
• DOI: 10.1177/1359105320926543
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-1053

Abstract

This qualitative study aimed to identify common stress beliefs. Undergraduate psychology students ( N = 35) completed semi-structured interviews discussing the sensations, causes, purpose, valence, consequences, control, and timeline of stress. Interviews were analysed via double-coded thematic analysis employing a latent, inductive, and realist framework. Five themes (cognition, emotion, physical health, interpersonal relations, and behaviour) and 17 subthemes were identified. Themes and subthemes were validated in a Delphi study of experts in stress research ( N = 14). Many of these identified beliefs have not been incorporated into current measures of stress beliefs, suggesting the need for new approaches to measuring this construct.