Daily cognitive appraisals,daily affect,and long-term depressive symptoms: the role of self-esteem and self-concept clarity in the stress process

The current study investigated how self-esteem and self-concept clarity are implicated in the stress process both in the short and long term. initial and 2-year follow-up interviews were completed by 178 participants from stepfamily unions. in twice-daily structured diaries over 7 days,participants reported their main family stressor,cognitive appraisals (perceived stressor threat and stressor controllability),and negative affect. results of multilevel modeling indicated that high self-esteem ameliorated the effect of daily negative cognitive appraisals on daily negative affect. self-concept clarity also buffered the effect of low self-self-esteem on depressive symptoms 2 years later. our findings point to the vulnerability of those having low self-esteem or low self-concept clarity in terms of both short- and long-term adaptation to stress. they indicate the need for the consideration of such individual differences in designing stress management interventions. © 2011 by the society for personality and social psychology,inc.