Individual differences in reactivity to and coping with the stress of lecturing

The aim of this study was to evaluate the moderating effect of several psychologically and biologically defined characteristics for both psychological and physiological indices of reactivity to and coping with lecturing stress. Student teachers were measured in two standardized lecturing situations: once at the start of a three-month practice period and once at the end of this period. Reactivity was operationalized as an increase in heart rate, cortisol excretion and subjective anxiety responses in anticipation of and at the start of the lecture. Coping was operationalized as the attunement of these responses during, or recovery after lecturing (short term coping), and as the adaptation of these responses across the three-month practice period (long term coping). It was found that reactivity to and (particularly long term) coping with the lecturing stressor could well be predicted by moderators such as physical fitness, extraversion, neuroticism, social anxiety and several coping styles. Specificity of predictor sets for sex and response parameters is discussed.