The effects of challenge and threat states on coping flexibility: evidence from framing and exemplar priming

Challenge and threat states have divergent effects on cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses. The present research used two experiments to investigate whether challenge and threat states influence coping flexibility differently.

Study 1 (N = 93) used loss-framed and gain-framed task instructions to elicit situation-specific threat and challenge evaluations, respectively, with a Null condition as a control. Study 2 (N = 86) used an online single-session Cognitive Bias Modification for Interpretation (CBM-I) paradigm to present participants with exemplars related to either positive or negative resolutions of stressful situations to engender a stress-is-a-challenge or stress-is-a-threat mindset, with a mixed condition as a control.

Loss-framed task instruction generated situation-specific threat evaluation, debilitated effective attention, and reduced positive affect, without altering coping flexibility measured in other scenarios. CBM-I engendered a stress-is-a-challenge mindset and maintained positive affect and coping flexibility, whereas the negative and mixed groups decreased coping flexibility. A stress-is-a-challenge mindset was positively associated with coping flexibility prior to and after exemplar priming.

Findings enrich the literature on stress coping and shed light on future practice by illustrating the different effects of framing and CBM-I on challenge/threat situation-specific evaluation and stress mindset, and the positive relation of stress-is-a-challenge mindset to coping flexibility.