Stress and well-being: the buffering role of locus of control beliefs

Data from the 1969 and 1971 panels of the National Longitudinal Survey of Middle-Aged Men are analyzed to assess the mediating effects of locus of control beliefs in the relationship between stressful job and economic events and psycho-physiological well-being. The analyses indicate that men with internal locus of control orientations respond more adequately to stress than do those with external locus of control beliefs. A more detailed examination of the data revealed that men with moderately internal locus of control orientations cope more effectively with stress than those whose locus of control beliefs may be classified as extreme internal, extreme external or moderately external. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.