Abstract
The association between career decision difficulties and negative emotions of adolescents has been researched; however, less is known about what moderates this relationship. Based on the transactional model of stress and cognitive theories, it was hypothesized that career decision-making difficulties in high school students are associated with psychological distress and this relationship will be moderated by worry. To test the hypothesis, 384 students from five public high schools in Romania (54% adolescent females, mean age 17.9 years) were assessed. Analyses indicated that career decision-making difficulties (lack of readiness, lack of information, inconsistent information) are associated with negative dysfunctional emotions, and this association is significantly moderated by worry. The results help us to better understand the circumstances in which career decision-making difficulties activate psychological distress.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Amir, T., & Gati, I. (2006). Facets of career decision-making difficulties. British Journal of Guidance & Counseling, 34(4), 483–503. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069880600942608.
Beck, R., Perkins, T. S., Holder, R., Robbins, M., Gray, M., & Allison, S. H. (2001). The cognitive and emotional phenomenology of depression and anxiety: are worry and hopelessness the cognitive correlates of NA and PA? Cognitive Therapy and Research, 25(6), 829–838. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012983726272.
Brown, D. (2002a). Career choice and development. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
Brown, D. (2002b). The role of work and cultural values in occupational choice, satisfaction, and success: a theoretical statement. Journal of Counseling & Development, 80(1), 48–56. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6678.2002.tb00165.x.
Brown, S. D., & Rector, C. C. (2008). Conceptualizing and diagnosing problems in vocational decision making. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds), Handbook of counseling psychology (pp. 392–407). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Vol. 4.
Chorpita, B. F., Tracey, S. A., Brown, T. A., Collica, T. J., & Barlow, D. H. (1997). Assessment of worry in children and adolescents: an adaptation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35(6), 569–581. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(96)00116-7.
Code, M., Bernes, K. B., Gunn, T. M., & Angela, D. (2006). Adolescents’ Perceptions of Career Concern: Student Discouragement in Career Development. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 40(3), 160–174. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ739917.
Creed, P., Prideaux, L.-A., & Patton, W. (2005). Antecedents and consequences of career decisional states in adolescence. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 67(3), 397–412. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JVB.2004.08.008.
David, D., Schnur, J., & Belloiu, A. (2002). Another search for the “hot” cognitions: appraisal, irrational beliefs, attributions. Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 20(2), 93–131. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019876601693.
Davies, P. T., & Windle, M. (1997). Gender-specific pathways between maternal depressive symptoms, family discord, and adolescent adjustment. Developmental Psychology, 33(4), 657–668. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.33.4.657.
Ellis, A. (1994). Reason and emotion in psychotherapy. (re. ed.). Secaucus, NJ: Birch Lane.
Esbjørn, B. H., Bender, P. K., Reinholdt-Dunne, M. L., Munck, L. A., & Ollendick, T. H. (2012). The development of anxiety disorders: considering the contributions of attachment and emotion regulation. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 15(2), 129–143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-011-0105-4.
Fabio, A. Di., & Palazzeschi, L. (2009). Emotional intelligence, personality traits and career decision difficulties. International Journal of Education and Vocational Guidance, 9, 135–146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-009-9162-3.
Fabio, A. Di, Palazzeschi, L., Asulin-Peretz, L., & Gati, I. (2013). Career indecision versus indecisiveness. Journal of Career Assessment, 21(1), 42–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072712454698.
Fouad, N. A. (2007). Work and vocational psychology: theory, research, and applications. Annual Review of Psychology, 58(1), 543–564. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085713.
Gati, I., Gadassi, R., & Shemesh, N. (2006). The predictive validity of a computer-assisted career decision-making system: a six-year follow-up. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68(2), 205–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JVB.2005.08.002.
Gati, I., Krausz, M., & Osipow, S. H. (1996). A taxonomy of difficulties in career decision making. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43(4), 510. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.43.4.510.
Gati, I., & Levin, N. (2015). Making better career decisions. In P. J. Hartung, M. L. Savickas & W. B. Walsh (Eds.), APA Handbook of Career Intervention: Vol. 2. Applications (pp. 193–207). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Gati, I., & Saka, N. (2001). High school students’ career-related decision-making difficulties. Journal of Counseling & Development, 79(3), 331–340. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.2001.tb01978.x.
Gati, I., & Tal, S. (2008). Decision-making models and career guidance. In International Handbook of Career Guidance (pp. 157–185). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6230-8_8
Germeijs, V., & De Boeck, P. (2002). A measurement scale for indecisiveness and its relationship to career indecision and other types of indecision. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 18(2), 113–122. https://doi.org/10.1027//1015-5759.18.2.113.
Germeijs, V., Luyckx, K., Notelaers, G., Goossens, L., & Verschueren, K. (2012). Choosing a major in higher education: Profiles of student’s decision-making process. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 37, 229–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2011.12.002.
Gosselin, P., Tremblay, M., Dugas, M. J., & Ladouceur, R. (2002). Les inquiétudes chez les adolescents: Propriétés psychométriques de la version française du Penn State worry questionnaire for children. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 43(4), 270.
Guay, F., Ratelle, C. F., Senécal, C., Larose, S., & Deschênes, A. (2006). Distinguishing developmental from chronic career indecision: self-efficacy, autonomy, and social support. Journal of Career Assessment, 14(2), 235–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072705283975.
Hayes, A. F., & Rockwood, N. J. (2017). Regression-based statistical mediation and moderation analysis in clinical research: observations, recommendations, and implementation. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 98, 39–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BRAT.2016.11.001.
Hayes, A. F. (2018). Partial, conditional, and moderated moderated mediation: Quantification, inference, and interpretation. Communication Monographs, 85, 4–40. http://afhayes.com/introduction-to-mediation-moderation-and-conditional-process-analysis.html.
Kang, S.-G., Shin, J.-H., & Song, S.-W. (2010). Reliability and validity of the Korean version of the penn state worry questionnaire in primary school children. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 25(8), 1210. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2010.25.8.1210.
Kasperzack, D., Ernst, A. L., & Pinquart, M. (2014). Ambivalence during and after career decision making of high school graduates. Journal of Career Assessment, 22(2), 248–260. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072713493765.
Kelly, W. E., & Miller, M. J. (1999). A discussion of worry with suggestions for counselors. Counseling and Values, 44(1), 55–66. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-007X.1999.tb00152.x.
Lancaster, B. P., Rudolph, C. E., Perkins, T. S., & Patten, T. G. (1999). The reliability and validity of the career decision difficulties questionnaire. Journal of Career Assessment, 7(4), 393–413. https://doi.org/10.1177/106907279900700405.
Laugesen, N., Dugas, M. J., & Bukowski, W. M. (2003). Understanding adolescent worry: the application of a cognitive model. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31(1), 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021721332181.
Lazarus, R., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, Inc.
Lenz, J. G., Peterson, G. W., Reardon, R. C., & Saunders, D. E. (2010). Connecting career and mental health counseling: Integrating theory and practice. Retrieved from http://counselingoutfitters.com/vistas/vistas10/Article_01.pdf.
Meyer, T. J., Miller, M. L., Metzger, R. L., & Borkovec, T. D. (1990). Development and validation of the penn state worry questionnaire. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 28(6), 487–495. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(90)90135-6.
Mezulis, A. H., Hyde, J. S., Simonson, J., & Charbonneau, A. M. (2011). Integrating affective, biological, and cognitive vulnerability models to explain the gender difference in depression: the abC Model and its implications for intervention. In T. J. Strauman, P. R. Costanzo & J. Garber (Eds), Duke series in child development and public policy. Depression in adolescent girls: Science and prevention (pp. 64–96). New York, NY, US: Guilford Press.
Muris, P., Meesters, C., & Gobel, M. (2001). Reliability, validity, and normative data of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire in 8–12-yr-old children. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 32(2), 63–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7916(01)00022-2.
Opris, D., & Macavei, B. (2007). The profile of emotional distress; norms for the romanian population. Journal of Cognitive & Behavioral Psychotherapies, 7(2). http://jebp.psychotherapy.ro/vol7no2/the-profile-of-emotional-distress-norms-for-the-romanian-population/
Osipow, S. H., Carney, C. G., & Barak, A. (1976). A scale of educational-vocational undecidedness: A typological approach. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 9(2), 233–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-8791(76)90081-6.
Păsărelu, C. R., Dobrean, A., Balazsi, R., Predescu, E., Şipos, R., & Lupu, V. (2017). The Penn State worry questionnaire for children: age, gender and clinical invariance. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 48(3), 359–369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-016-0663-2.
Pestle, S. L., Chorpita, B. F., & Schiffman, J. (2008). Psychometric properties of the penn state worry questionnaire for children in a large clinical sample. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37(2), 465–471. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374410801955896.
Sabates, R., Gutman, L., & Schoon, I. (2017). Is there a wage penalty associated with a degree of indecision in career aspirations? Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.14301/llcs.v8i3.470
Saka, N., & Gati, I. (2007). Emotional and personality-related aspects of persistent career decision-making difficulties. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 71(3), 340–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JVB.2007.08.003.
Santos, P. J. (2001). Predictors of generalized indecision among portuguese secondary school students. Journal of Career Assessment, 9(4), 381–396. https://doi.org/10.1177/106907270100900405.
Saunders, D. E., Peterson, G. W., Sampson, J. P., & Reardon, R. C. (2000). Relation of depression and dysfunctional career thinking to career indecision. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 56(2), 288–298. https://doi.org/10.1006/JVBE.1999.1715.
Walker, J. V., & Peterson, G. W. (2012). Career thoughts, indecision, and depression. Journal of Career Assessment, 20(4), 497–506. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072712450010.
Zunker, V. (2008). Career, work, and mental health: integrating career and personal counseling. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.
Acknowledgements
We thank Ella Angel, Itamar Gati, Jon Good, Elisabeth Hajos, Yoshiko Hall, and Tunde Revesz, for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this article. We also thank Preda Florenta and Roxana Muresan for their help in the data collection. We especially thank Roger J. R. Levesque for his helpful comments that helped us to improve our paper significantly.
Authors’ Contributions
V.K. conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, performed the measurement and drafted the manuscript; R.B. participated in the design of the study, performed the statistical analysis and interpretation of the data; A.D. conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, helped to draft the manuscript, and participated in the interpretation of the data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. All authors contributed equally to this manuscript.
Funding
This research was supported by a grant of Ministry of Research and Innovation, Romania, CNCS-UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2016-0861, within PNCDI III, awarded to Dr. Anca Dobrean.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
The current submission does not overlap any other published, in press, or in preparation articles, books, or proceedings and has not been posted on a website. Our research is not under consideration elsewhere and has been conducted in accordance with ethical standards in the field.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Additional information
Publisher’s note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kulcsár, V., Dobrean, A. & Balázsi, R. Does it Matter If I Am a Worrier? The Effect of Worry as a Moderator between Career Decision-Making Difficulties and Negative Dysfunctional Emotions. J Youth Adolescence 49, 549–564 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01118-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01118-8