Which item describes a stress-related perception of loss of control?

Which item describes a stress-related perception of loss of control?

• A. In the past month, how often have you felt that you were unable to control the important things in your life?
• B. In the past month, how often have you felt nervous or stressed?
• C. In the past month, how often have you been angry because of things outside of your control?
• D. In the past month, how often have you found you could not cope with all you had to do?

Answer: (A)

Perception of control under stress is about how much a person feels they can influence important parts of their life. The item that asks if you have felt unable to control the important things in your life directly targets that subjective sense of losing control, which is exactly what “loss of control” refers to. This is a cognitive appraisal people make about their environment and circumstances when stressed. The other statements describe related experiences but not the specific sense of control: feeling nervous or stressed is about arousal, anger about things outside of your control is an emotional reaction to uncontrollable events, and struggling to cope with all you have to do is about overload or coping capacity. They don’t directly measure the perceived loss of control that the best option captures.

Perception of control under stress is about how much a person feels they can influence important parts of their life. The item that asks if you have felt unable to control the important things in your life directly targets that subjective sense of losing control, which is exactly what “loss of control” refers to. This is a cognitive appraisal people make about their environment and circumstances when stressed.

The other statements describe related experiences but not the specific sense of control: feeling nervous or stressed is about arousal, anger about things outside of your control is an emotional reaction to uncontrollable events, and struggling to cope with all you have to do is about overload or coping capacity. They don’t directly measure the perceived loss of control that the best option captures.