(PS6-C59) Perceived Stress as a Moderator in the Relationship Between Frequency of Stressors and Physical Health

Evidence suggests that both stressors (de Kloet et al., 2005) and perceived stress (PS; Keller et al., 2012) are associated with poor physical health (PH). However, few studies have examined the unique effect of exposure to objective stressors and the appraisal or perception of stress on PH (Stults-Kolehmainen & Sinha, 2014). Additionally, even less is known about this relation among university students, who experience unique and challenging stressors (Hurst et al., 2013). To address limitations, the current study sought to examine the role of PS on PH beyond the role of frequency of exposure to stressors.

For this study, 97 university students (58.8% female; 25.8% Black; M_age = 19.81) completed self-report assessments designed to measure the frequency of stressors (Undergraduate Stress Questionnaire; Crandall et al., 1992), PS (Perceived Stress Scale; Cohen et al., 1983), and somatic PH symptoms (Cohen-Hoberman Inventory of Physical Symptoms; Cohen & Hoberman, 1983).

A hierarchical linear regression demonstrated that frequency of stressors predicted poor PH (b = .707, F[1,95] = 12.55, p = .001). PS was added in the second step of the model and significantly predicted poor PH beyond the frequency of stressors (DF[1, 94] = 4.39, p = .039, DR² = .039). A moderation analysis was performed using PROCESS (Hayes, 2018), and results indicated the overall moderation model had significant effect on poor PH (F[3, 93] = 8.02, p < .001). The interaction of frequency of stressors and PS (b = -.108, SE = .045, t[93] = -2.40, p = .018, 95%CI[-.19, -.01]) was significant, and accounted for an additional 4.9% of the variance in poor PH above frequency of stressors and PS (DF[1, 93] = 5.79, p = .018, DR² = .049). Follow-up Johnson-Neyman procedure indicated that the frequency of stressors was not associated with poor PH for participants with a PS score of ≥23. However, frequency of stressors were significantly associated with poor PH when PS scores totaled ≤22 (b = .421, SE = .212, t[93] = 1.98, p = .050, 95%CI[.00, .84]). As PS decreased, the relationship between stressors and poor PH became stronger, indicating the strongest correlation between stressors and PH among those with the lowest PS (b = 1.927, SE = .576, t[93] = 3.34, p = .001).

Findings demonstrate that PS moderated the relation between frequency of stressors and poor PH, such that frequency of stressors was associated with poor PH for students who reported low to moderate PS. However, frequency of stressors was less relevant in poor PH among those who reported high PS. This highlights the impact of perceived stress on poor PH and suggests that treatments targeting PS, particularly among university students, may be effective in reducing poor PH. Study limitations and future directions will be discussed.