Personal Control as a Moderator Variable of Life Stress: Preliminary Inquiry

Abstract

In successful performance personal control includes both outcome expectations, the belief that the environment will be responsive to individual coping efforts and expectations of efficacy, the belief that one has the skills for specific tasks. This study examined the relationship between these two expectation factors and dependent measures of anxiety and depression. As predicted, there were sex differences. Depression in men was negatively correlated with outcome expectations. No relationship for either sex was found between expectations of efficacy and symptomatology. Possible reasons for these findings were presented.