Stress, Savoring, and Coping: The Role of Savoring in Psychological Adjustment Following a Stressful Life Event.

Abstract

There is increasing research on the role of savoring positive emotional experience in the context of stress. As such, we need a better understanding of how savoring and coping relate to each other and to psychological adjustment outcomes following a stressful life event. In particular, this study seeks to understand whether savoring is better conceptualized as a coping resource or a coping response. Three hundred people who experienced a highly stressful event in the past year completed measures of impact of event, savoring, coping, positive emotions, depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction. Results of bivariate correlations showed that savoring is positively correlated with positive coping (i.e., mastery and meaning-based coping) and socially-supported coping (i.e., using emotional and instrumental support) and negatively correlated with negative coping (i.e., self-judgement and avoidance coping). The results of path analyses support a model that positions savoring as a coping response that relates to other coping responses and indirectly relates to better psychological adjustment through positive emotions (when psychological adjustment is conceptualized as depression or life satisfaction but not anxiety). Findings provide preliminary support for conceptualizing savoring as a coping response; future research should consider measuring savoring as a coping response to further our understanding of savoring following a stressful life event.