Abstract
This investigation examined the influence of 4 personal attributes—sex, gender role, social desirability, and locus of control—as predictors of coping with work stress. Participants were 208 employed adult students (154 females and 54 males), primarily European Americans (90.4%) from working-class backgrounds. Theresults indicated that men were more likely to use alcohol and women more likely to use direct action. Femininity and/or masculinity scores predicted control-related coping butwere unrelated to escape-related coping. High social desirability scores predicted direct action coping, whereas low scores predicted alcohol use. In terms of locus of control, an internal orientation predicted help-seeking and positive thinking, a powerful others orientation predicted avoidance/resignation, and a chance orientation predicted alcohol use.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Bem, S. L. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42 155-162.
Bem, S. L. (1977). On the utility of alternative procedures for assessing psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 45 196-205.
Bhagat, R. S., Allie, S. M., & Ford, D. L., Jr. (1995). Coping with stressful life events: An empirical analysis. In R. Crandall & P. L. Perrewe (Eds.), Occupational stress: A handbook (pp. 93-112). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
Bhatnagar, D. (1988). Professional women in organizations: New paradigms for research and action. Sex Roles, 18 343-355.
Blau, G. (2001). Testing the discriminant validity of occupational entrenchment. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 74 85-93.
Chow, E. N. (1987). The influence of sex-role identity and occupational attainment in the psychological well-being of Asian American women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 11 69-82.
Costos, D. (1986). Sex role identity in young adults: Its parental antecedents and relation to ego development. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50 602-611.
Cummins, R. (1990). Job stress and the buffering effect of supervisory support. Group and Organizational Studies, 15 92-104.
Eichinger, J., Heifetz, L. J., & Ingraham, C. (1991). Situational shifts in sex-role orientation: Correlates of work satisfaction and burnout among women in special education. Sex Roles, 25 425-440.
Evers, A., Frese, M., & Cooper, C. L. (2000). Revisions and further developments of the Occupational Stress Indicator: LISREL results from four Dutch studies. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 73 221-240.
Gadzella, B. M. (1994). Locus of control differences among stress groups. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 79 1619-1624.
Geller, P. A., & Hobfoll, S. E. (1994). Gender differences in job stress, tedium, and social support in the workplace. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 11 555-572.
Gianakos, I. (1995). The relation of sex-role identity to career decision-making self-efficacy. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 46 131-143.
Gianakos, I. (1996). Career development differences between adult and traditional-aged learners. Journal of Career Development, 22 211-223.
Gianakos, I. (2000). Gender roles and coping with work stress. Sex Roles, 42 1059-1079.
Gianakos, I., Subich, L. M. (1988). Student sex and sex role in relation to college major choice. The Career Development Quarterly, 36 259-268.
Greenglass, E. R. (1993). The contribution of social support to coping strategies. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 42 323-340.
Greenglass, E. R. (1995). Gender, work stress, and coping: Theoretical implications. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 10(6), 121-134.
Hamilton, S., & Fagot, B. I. (1988). Chronic stress and coping styles: A comparison of male and female undergraduates. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55 819-823.
Havlovic, S. J., & Keenan, J. P. (1995). Coping with work stress: The influence of individual differences. In R. Crandall & P. L. Perrewe (Eds.), Occupational stress: A handbook (pp. 179-192). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
Karasek, R. A. (1979). Job demands, job decision latitude, and mental strain: Implications for job redesign. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24 285-308.
Karasek, R. A., & Theorell, T. (1990). Healthy work: Stress, productivity, and the reconstruction of working life. New York: Wiley.
Krausz, M., Kedem, P., Tal, Z., & Amir, Y. (1992). Sex-role orientation and work adaptation of male nurses. Research in Nursing and Health, 15 391-398.
LaCroix, A. Z., & Haynes, S. G. (1987). Gender differences in the health effects of workplace roles. In R. C. Barnett, L. Biener, & G. T. Baruch (Eds.), Gender and stress (pp. 96-121). New York: Free Press.
Latack, J. C. (1986). Coping with job stress: Measures and future directions for scale development. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71 377-385.
Latack, J. C., & Havlovic, S. J. (1992). Coping with job stress: A conceptual evaluation framework for coping measures. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13 479-508.
Levenson, H. (1974). Activism and powerful others: Distinctions within the concept of internal-external control. Journal of Personality Assessment, 38 377-383.
Levenson, H. (1981). Differentiating among internality, powerful others, and chance. In H. M. Lefcourt (Ed.), Research with the locus of control construct (Vol. 1, pp. 15-63). New York: Academic Press.
Long, B. C. (1989). Sex-role orientation, coping strategies, and self-efficacy of women in traditional and nontraditional occupations. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 13 307-324.
Lubinski, D., Tellegen, A., & Butcher, J. N. (1983). Masculinity, femininity, and androgyny viewed and assessed as distinct concepts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44 428-439.
Piltch, C. A., Walsh, D. C., Mangione, T. W., & Jennings, S. E. (1994). Gender, work, and mental distress in an industrial labor force: An expansion of Karasek's job strain model. In G. P. Keita & J. J. Hurrell Jr. (Eds.), Job stress in a changing workforce: Investigating gender, diversity, and family issues (pp. 39-45). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Pugliesi, K., & Shook, S. L. (1998). Gender, ethnicity, and network characteristics: Variation in social support resources. Sex Roles, 38 215-238.
Robinson, S. E., & Skarie, E. K. (1986). Professional women: Job role stresses and psychosocial variables. American Mental Health Counselors Association Journal, 8 157-165.
Rotter, J. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80 (1, Whole No. 609).
Spector, P. E. (1986). Perceived control by employees: A meta-analysis of studies concerning autonomy and participation at work. Human Relations, 39 1005-1116.
Spielberger, C. D., & Reheiser, E. C. (1995). Measuring occupational stress: The Job Stress Survey. In R. Crandall & P. L. Perrewe (Eds.), Occupational stress: A handbook (pp. 51-69). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
Trocki, K. F., & Orioli, E. M. (1994). Gender differences in stress symptoms, stress-producing contexts, and coping strategies. In G. P. Keita & J. J. Hurrell Jr. (Eds.), Job stress in a changing workforce: Investigating gender, diversity, and family issues (pp. 7-22). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Turban, D. B., & Dougherty, T. W. (1994). Role of protégé personality in receipt of mentoring and career success. Academy of Management Journal, 37 688-702.
Ushasree, S., Seshu Reddy, B. V., & Vinolya, P. (1995). Gender, gender-role, and age effects in teachers' job stress and job satisfaction. Psychological Studies, 40(2) 72-76.
Vingerhoets, A. J., & Van Heck, G. L. (1990). Gender, coping, and psychosomatic symptoms. Psychological Medicine, 20 125-135.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gianakos, I. Predictors of Coping with Work Stress: The Influences of Sex, Gender Role, Social Desirability, and Locus of Control. Sex Roles 46, 149–158 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019675218338
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019675218338