{ "abstract": "According to the Transactional Model of Stress, stress responses arise from one’s perceptions of situational relevance (primary appraisal) and coping resources (secondary appraisal) as being insufficient. Although the model assumes moment-to-moment within-person variability, most research evidence stems from cross-sectional study designs. Therefore, this study applies Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to test the dynamic interplay between primary and secondary appraisals and fluctuations in perceived stress. We used EMA data from the TrackYourStress platform to examine both interindividual (“who”) and intraindividual (“when”) associations between primary and secondary appraisals and perceived stress. Bayesian multilevel models were applied to 2,908 observations from 164 participants. These models showed that higher appraisal of situational relevance was associated with increased stress, whereas higher appraisal of coping resources was associated with lower stress levels. Importantly, the association between relevance appraisals and stress was stronger under low coping resource appraisals. Findings were present at the inter- and intraindividual level. These findings support the model’s dynamic assumptions and highlight that appraisals not only account for interindividual differences in stress levels but also for moment-to-moment variation in stress responses in daily life. Author summary: Stress is not simply the result of what happens to us. The same situation can feel overwhelming to one person and manageable to another, and it may distress us on one day but not the next. Decades ago, Richard Lazarus proposed that stress depends on two personal judgements: how relevant or demanding a situation seems, and whether we feel we have the resources to cope with it. Although this influential model assumes that stress shifts from moment to moment, most studies have tested it only once per person, making these dynamics hard to capture. We used the smartphone app TrackYourStress to ask 164 people about their stress and their appraisals repeatedly during everyday life, collecting 2,908 reports. This let us separate stable differences between people (“who feels more stressed”) from momentary changes within the same person (“when someone feels stressed”). Situations judged as more relevant were linked to more stress, while feeling well-resourced was linked to less. Relevance stressed most when coping resources felt low — both between and within people. These findings support Lazarus's model in daily life and point to new opportunities for smartphone-based tools that monitor and support people's stress in real time.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Institute for Applied Research and Evaluation, Lutheran University of Applied Sciences, Nuremberg, Germany", "Division of Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria", "Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany", "Institute of Medical Data Science, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany", "DigiHealth Institute, Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences, Neu-Ulm, Germany", "Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria", "Social and Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Occupational, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany", "Center for Digital Medicine, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany" ], "article_type": "Research Article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 9, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Dennis John" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Hannah van Alebeek" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Rüdiger Pryss" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Carsten Vogel" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Johannes Schobel" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Teresa O’Rourke" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Anne-Kathrin Helten" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Jennifer Apolinário-Hagen" }, { "name": "Thomas Probst" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b812bcn75se6d.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pdig.0001716", "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/digitalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pdig.0001716", "id": "b812bcn75se6d", "issns": [ "2767-3170" ], "landing_url": "https://journals.plos.org/digitalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pdig.0001716", "language": null, "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "journal", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "3205|Mental Health Research Topics" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Physiology/Sensory physiology" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Emotions" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Psychological stress" ], [ "plos", "/Computer and information sciences/Computer architecture/User interfaces" ], [ "plos", "/Computer and information sciences/Software engineering/Computer software/Apps" ], [ "plos", "/Engineering and technology/Equipment/Communication equipment/Cell phones" ], [ "plos", "/Engineering and technology/Software engineering/Computer software/Apps" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Mental health and psychiatry" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Mental health and psychiatry/Psychological stress" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Research design/Survey research/Questionnaires" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Psychology/Emotions" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Psychology/Psychological stress" ] ], "openalex": "W7213369181", "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/digitalhealth/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pdig.0001716&type=printable", "pmcid": null, "pmid": null, "published": "2026-09-15", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b812bcn75se6d.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:49Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pdig.0001716", "source": "plos", "url": "https://journals.plos.org/digitalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pdig.0001716" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:physiology", "subfield": "physiology" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:mental health and psychiatry", "subfield": "psychiatry" } ], "title": "From Who experiences stress to When It Occurs: Revisiting Lazarus’ transactional model of stress using an ecological momentary assessment framework", "title_text": "From Who experiences stress to When It Occurs: Revisiting Lazarus’ transactional model of stress using an ecological momentary assessment framework", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:49Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b812bcn75se6d", "venue": "PLOS Digital Health", "versions": [] }