Does shift-and-persist strategy buffer career choice anxiety and affect career exploration?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Career Development

Background:

• The school-to-work transition is critical for future planning but often triggers psychological distress like anxiety.
• Individuals with low socioeconomic status (SES) face heightened risks during job hunting due to resource scarcity, leading to impulsive behaviors and health issues.
• Limited research exists on career interventions tailored to individuals from low SES backgrounds facing adversity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of shift-and-persist (S-P) coping strategies in mitigating career choice anxiety among low SES individuals.
• To examine if S-P strategies can enhance career exploration in students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• To assess the potential buffering effect of S-P strategies on the relationship between SES, career choice anxiety, and career exploration.

Main Methods:

• Survey data collected from 311 students preparing for or undergoing job hunting.
• Statistical analysis to assess associations between S-P strategies, socioeconomic status (SES), career choice anxiety, and career exploration.
• Mediation and moderation analyses to test the buffering hypothesis.

Main Results:

• A negative association was found between S-P strategies and career choice anxiety.
• A positive association was observed between S-P strategies and career exploration.
• No significant direct or indirect effects of SES on career exploration were found, nor a buffering effect of S-P on these pathways.

Conclusions:

• Shift-and-persist coping strategies show promise in reducing career choice anxiety and improving career exploration for students from low SES backgrounds.
• While S-P strategies are linked to better outcomes, they did not appear to buffer the direct or indirect negative effects of low SES on career exploration in this study.