Appraisals and coping with workplace interpersonal stress: A model for women managers

This study extended a previously developed integrative model of workplace s tress by focusing specifically on interpersonal stressors. After controllin g for negative affect, results of the prospective study of 157 Canadian man agerial women indicated that conflicts appraised as threats to self-interes t, less perceived control over the stressor, and more upsetting appraisals led to the use of disengagement coping, whereas conflicts appraised as thre ats to social relationships and greater control were associated with the us e of engagement coping. Individual differences were also associated with pr imary appraisals and perceptions of the work environment. Primary appraisal s had both direct and indirect effects on psychosomatic distress and fully mediated the effects of individual differences on distress.