Some life changes can have adverse effects on people, affecting their mental health. The cumulative effect of multiple risk factors gradually increases the vulnerability of individuals in developing mental health disorders. However, some people remain mentally healthy despite overwhelming stressors. Protective factors such as psychological hardiness can buffer the effects of stress on mental health.
Psychological hardiness is a personality characteristic that works as a resistance resource during stressful life events. People high in hardiness see challenges as an opportunity for learning and personal growth, continue with their meaningful activities and have confidence in their abilities to influence events in their lives.
Basic Components of hardiness
- Challenge: Hardy people acknowledge that change is part of life, and the anticipation of change acts as an incentive instead of a threat to security. They also actively confront their problems and look for solutions rather than feeling threatened and powerless because of them.
- Commitment: Hardy people stay committed in the situation and go on with their meaningful and important activities because of their goals and values.
- Control: Hardy people believe that they can control or influence the events in their lives. They think that they can affect the outcome of a situation.
Hardiness and coping
Hardy persons also experience stressors, but they appraise the events as less stressful. They opt to use problem-focused coping that helps them reframe the stressful situation as an opportunity for growth, achieving a greater understanding of their feelings and situation. On the other hand, people low in hardiness engage in emotion-focused coping such as cognitive and behavioural withdrawal and denial. Although it can alleviate the overwhelming feelings, it does not solve the problem. Instead, it can increase emotional issues.
Effects of hardiness
- Mitigates negative health outcomes of stress
- Increases positive effects on physical and mental health
- Decreases symptoms of anxiety, depression, social dysfunction
- Reduces the development of physical and mental health issues
It implies that people with higher psychological hardiness display higher levels of mental health. They appraise a stressful situation as less threatening and instead interpret it as a challenge that they have to overcome to grow as a person. As they appraise the situation, they believe they can influence or change their circumstances. They stay in the situation because of their commitment to their values and goals. It also activates their ability to influence the situation, allowing them to use active coping strategies to deal with the stressors and increasing perceptions of control over their stressors.
Stressful situations can negatively affect individuals’ mental health, but personality traits such as psychological hardiness can mitigate the effect of stressors on people. Developing the components of psychological hardiness can help increase individuals’ skills in managing stressors. It helps to interpret the situations as a challenge, confront them, stay committed to the goals and abilities to influence the situation, and control its consequences through problem-focused coping strategies.
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