Stress, Control Beliefs, and Psychological Distress: The Problem of Response Bias

Abstract

Research on the buffering effects of locus of control beliefs in the relationship between stressful life events and psychological distress has produced inconclusive findings. The purpose of this study is to examine whether social desirability response set bias may be at least partially responsible for these contradictory results. Analysis of data from a community survey of married women suggests that social desirability can attenuate the interaction effect between stress and control beliefs. It is recommended that researchers include controls for this form of nonrandom measurement error in future studies.

Index Terms:

• response bias
• locus of control
• stress