The Influence of Varied Levels of Received Stress and Support on Negative Emotions and Support Perceptions

The present study assessed the influence of experimentally varied levels of stress and support (received stress and support) on stress-induced negative affect and support perceptions (perceived support). Participants were exposed to either a high or a low level of stress and either received or did not receive support during the experimental session. The results indicated that regardless of the amount of support received, participants exposed to high versus low level of stress reported significantly more stress-induced negative affect. Perceived support, on the other hand, was a function of the interaction between the amount of stress and support received during the experimental task. Under a low level of stress, participants' support perception remained moderate regardless of the amount of actual support they received; whereas under a high level of stress, participants' support perception was significantly lower among those who did not receive support compared to those who did. Exploratory analyses indicated that experimentally-induced stress and support predicted negative affect and support judgments above and beyond the influence of individual characteristics (i.e., global self-esteem and dispositional optimism). Taken together, the results suggest that negative emotions were directly influenced by the degree of stress experienced, however the relationship between received and perceived support was moderated by the magnitude of experimentally-induced stress.