A systematic review and theoretical framework of stress generation in daily life

Stress generation describes processes by which individuals actively contribute to the occurrence of self-generated stressful events. Personal characteristics like neuroticism or psychopathology have been found to predict the occurrence of major life stressors over several months or years. However, a profound understanding of stress generation over shorter time periods in people’s daily lives is still missing. Here, we integrated recent research on person-environment transactions from personality psychology into the clinical stress generation literature to develop a process model of stress generation. This process model posits that stress generation unfolds across multiple timescales and that short-term dynamics between momentary, state-level personal characteristics and daily hassles are the building blocks for established long-term stress generation effects. To evaluate a core aspect of this model, we conducted a systematic literature search on stress generation in daily life (45 studies, N total = 9’818). Results show that both dispositional traits and momentary states predict the occurrence of daily hassles, supporting the existence and relevance of stress generation in daily life. However, future research on stress generation across timescales is needed to test the theorized link between stress generation in daily life and long-term stress generation effects. • Integration of research from personality psychology and clinical psychology. • Development of a process model of stress generation. • Systematic review supports a core aspect of the model. • Neuroticism and depression emerged as predictors of daily hassles.