The significance of irrational convictions for coping with stress

This study examined the relation between irrational beliefs, coping, and st ress as part of a study on the experiences of college students while learni ng for examinations. A total of 103 college students from different faculti es who had recently sat examinations completed a questionnaire on irrationa l beliefs, the Fragebogen irrationaler Einstellungen (FIE; Klages, 1989a); a stress management questionnaire, an adapted version of the Stressverarbei tsungsfragebogen (SVF; Janke, Erdmann, & Kallus, 1985); as well as scales a ssessing physical and psychological stress symptoms while learning for exam inations. A factor analysis discriminated three coping strategies: (1) Emot ional distress/Giving up, (2) Cognitive reevaluation/Positive self-instruct ions, and (3) Active control/Focusing of attention. The anticipated relatio n between irrational beliefs, coping behavior, and stress depended on the s ubjective importance of the examination: Only college students who felt it was important to pass the examination exhibited positive relations between irrational beliefs and the SVF factor Emotional distress/Giving up and betw een irrational beliefs and physical and psychological stress symptoms while learning for examinations. Results are interpreted in terms of the transac tional stress model. It is concluded that irrational beliefs call for a cop ing behavior that is directed toward the processing of negative emotions, a nd this leads to increased stress and negative outcomes when events are ass igned a high level of importance.