The role of culture in the process of coping with stress.

Abstract

This study explored coping as a cultural adaptation by studying the role of ethnicity and acculturation stage in shaping coping strategies. One hundred and twenty eight Asians and 155 participants of European descent filled out a survey measuring their length of US residence, coping strategies and psychological distress. Findings revealed that ethnicity interacted with stages of acculturation in influencing coping choice. However, this process worked differently for different coping categories. As acculturation increases, Asians and Europeans became more similar in their use of personal coping resources through problem solving and cognitive restructuring. However, their utilization of social resources such as support seeking became more distinct. This can be attributed to differences in acculturation success and distress associated with social relatedness. Thus, culture serves as both a person variable and a contextual variable in influencing coping choice.