Jeffery Houghton, management professor, led research on how employees coped – whether through adaptive or maladaptive behaviors - at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He found that those with greater psychological capital coped better. (WVU illustration/Aira Burkhart) (WVU illustration/Aira Burkhart)

Psychological capital may be the antidote for working in a pandemic, WVU study suggests

Just like the COVID-19 vaccine protects against contracting the contagious virus, the collective elements of self-efficacy, optimism, hope and resiliency helps inoculate employees from the negative effects of working through a pandemic, according to a new West Virginia University study. 

Jeffery Houghtonmanagement professor, had studied how college students coped with stress through adaptive (i.e. exercise, meditation, social networking) and maladaptive (i.e. binge drinking, substance abuse, negative thoughts) behaviors before the world was dramatically altered by COVID-19 in early 2020. 

It dawned on him to shift that focus to people working through the midst of the pandemic. How were people handling working under the same roof they ate and slept – with some of them also homeschooling and rearing children? 

He teamed up with two of his Ph.D. students, Richard Oxarart and Luke Langlinais, and Salisbury University researchers to see how “psychological capital” – or PsyCap, a positive state of mind characterized by self-efficacy, optimism, hope and resiliency in the world of psychology – influenced employees. 

The findings, published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management, aren’t a total surprise: Those lagging in PsyCap characteristics drifted to maladaptive behaviors and exhibited a high perception of stress. 

“If you’re adaptively coping, you’re going to have less stress,” Houghton said. “If you have a lower PsyCap, you’re likely going to engage in maladaptive coping, which leads to even greater stress.

“We wanted to see how these dynamics change if you’re working from home. We felt that working at home would increase the effects of maladaptive coping on stress.” 

And it did, based on their study. 

Workers relying on adaptive coping strategies fared better, though Houghton anticipated their levels of stress would have been much lower. 

“You’ve still got a strong, positive relationship between PsyCap and adaptive coping,” he said, “but for the people working at home, that doesn’t seem to affect their stress. That’s interesting and may be because of additional stressors at home.

“At the end of the day, PsyCap tends to work more by reducing maladaptive coping instead of increasing the adaptive coping.”

Houghton and his team surveyed 378 full-time employees during the first week of May 2020, when many individuals still worked remotely. The average age of participants was 35 and 52% of those surveyed were female. 

A poll by the American Psychological Association released around that same timeframe found that 70% of employed adults said work was a significant source of stress in their lives, a substantially higher percentage than reported in prior APA surveys. 

A potential upswing 

Regardless of where you work, Houghton’s team found that many people view work as one of life’s stressors. 

One possible way to change that is through PsyCap training, Houghton said. 

The four components – self-efficacy, optimism, hope and resiliency – can be viewed together as a singular entity, he added. 

“Do they really hang together as a single concept? The research suggests that if you look at them as a package, you’ll get better outcomes.

“A compelling concept from a practical standpoint is that unlike something like your personality, which is relatively stable – you can’t change your personality that easily, PsyCap is something that’s considered to be malleable. It can change and be improved.”

Houghton said PsyCap is a relatively new concept but recommends organizations to consider offering trainings to keep workers happy and healthy.

“Workshops to help people improve their level of this cognitive resource can in fact make them more adaptive with their coping styles,” he said. 

Citation: Coping with the Crisis: The Effects of Psychological Capital and Coping Styles on Perceived Stress

Featured

SHOPS & SERVICES

Buckhannon man held on $100,000 bail after being arrested on multiple drug charges

BUCKHANNON – A Buckhannon man was arrested Saturday after several illegal substances were allegedly found in his residence. Bryan Shaw, 41, of Buckhannon, was arrested for possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, possession with intent to deliver heroin, possession with […]

Become a premium member to unlock immediate access to this story and thousands more. Plus you’ll wake up every morning to our email edition. Your subscription supports local news by local writers. Signing up is easy — just tap the button below!

Buckhannon City Council approves $6.5 million-dollar budget prioritizing public safety, infrastructure

BUCKHANNON – City council passed the largest budget in Buckhannon’s history Tuesday, with the two largest allocations once again earmarked for public safety operations and infrastructure maintenance, respectively. At its March 14 meeting – rescheduled from March 16 due to […]

Become a premium member to unlock immediate access to this story and thousands more. Plus you’ll wake up every morning to our email edition. Your subscription supports local news by local writers. Signing up is easy — just tap the button below!

Police arrest man they say was the driver in 2022 pursuit that ended in a wreck with two people ejected

BUCKHANNON – A Rock Cave man was arrested for allegedly fleeing from police officers in a vehicle, injuring himself and a passenger. Elijah Carpenter, 27, of Rock Cave was arrested Thursday for fleeing from an officer and fleeing or attempting […]

Become a premium member to unlock immediate access to this story and thousands more. Plus you’ll wake up every morning to our email edition. Your subscription supports local news by local writers. Signing up is easy — just tap the button below!

SHOPS & SERVICES

Softball Lady Bucs get one-hit by Lincoln’s Haller in debut in 10-0 setback

TENNERTON – For their season opener, the Buckhannon-Upshur softball Lady Bucs ran into one of the top pitchers in the state in Lincoln’s Delaney Haller. Haller was the Big 10 Conference Pitcher of the Year last season and was captain […]

Become a premium member to unlock immediate access to this story and thousands more. Plus you’ll wake up every morning to our email edition. Your subscription supports local news by local writers. Signing up is easy — just tap the button below!

Baseball ‘Cats get home doubleheader split with ABU

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Wesleyan baseball team split with the Alderson Broaddus Battlers Monday, winning 7-2 in the first game and losing 7-0 in the second game. The bats were alive in Game

Inexperienced tennis Bucs fall in first two outings of 2023 season

BRIDGEPORT – The Buckhannon-Upshur tennis Buccaneers dropped their first two outings of the year last week. They opened their season at home last Thursday with a 7-0 setback to Robert C. Byrd and then went to Bridgeport Saturday and dropped […]

Become a premium member to unlock immediate access to this story and thousands more. Plus you’ll wake up every morning to our email edition. Your subscription supports local news by local writers. Signing up is easy — just tap the button below!

Lady Buc netters open season with win over Robert C. Byrd and narrow loss to John Marshall

BRIDGEPORT – The Buckhannon-Upshur Lady Buc tennis team is off to a 1-1 start to the season and was just an eyelash away from being a perfect 2-0. The Lady Bucs hosted Robert C. Byrd last Thursday and won a […]

Become a premium member to unlock immediate access to this story and thousands more. Plus you’ll wake up every morning to our email edition. Your subscription supports local news by local writers. Signing up is easy — just tap the button below!

SHOPS & SERVICES

Working in service: WVU research reaches all of West Virginia

Breakthroughs and research expertise nurtured at West Virginia University extend far beyond its labs, experimental sites and classrooms. In fact, WVU research efforts are unique compared to most universities, according to Vice President for Research Fred King. “While

Fairmont State University selects 2023 Presidential Scholarship winners

Three incoming Fairmont State University freshmen have been selected as the recipients of Fairmont State’s premier academic scholarship, the Charles J. McClain Presidential Scholarship. Sophie Stuart from Jefferson High School (Charles town, W.VA), Hailey Jordan

WVDEP hosting students on World Water Day

CHARLESTON, WV – In an effort to enrich students’ understanding of the importance of clean water, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) is hosting a water education event for area grade schools on