Two definitions of waiting well.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Waiting for uncertain news is a common source of distress.
• Existing coping strategies may be ineffective for managing this distress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate strategies for "waiting well" during periods of uncertainty.
• To define "waiting well" as both reducing distress during waiting and enhancing responses to news.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study of 230 law graduates awaiting California bar exam results.
• Questionnaires administered before, during (bi-weekly for 4 months), and after the waiting period.
• Cross-lagged models and multiple regression analyses used to analyze data.

Main Results:

• Participants were largely unsuccessful at reducing distress during the waiting period.
• Ineffective coping strategies sometimes exacerbated distress.
• Suffering through an anxious waiting period correlated with more productive responses to bad news and more joyful responses to good news.

Conclusions:

• Enduring a stressful waiting period is difficult but can have positive outcomes.
• The difficulty of waiting may "pay off" when the news is finally received.
• Rethinking "waiting well" may involve accepting distress to enhance future emotional responses.