452 CHAPTER 11
Y chromosome responsible for determining male sex characteristics) causes
the fight-or-flight response (Lee & Harley, 2012). The researchers believe that
women use a different genetic mechanism in coping with stress. As genetic
research progresses, it will remain to be seen if this study’s results will be
supported.How Culture Affects Coping
11.12 Describe cultural differences in coping with stress.
Imagine this scene: You are driving out in the country when you come upon
an elderly man working on a large wooden box, polishing it with great care.
You stop to talk to the man and find out that the box is his own coffin, and he
spends his days getting it ready, tending to it with great care. He isn’t fright-
ened of dying and doesn’t feel strange about polishing his own coffin. How
would you react?
If you were from the same rural area of Vietnam as the elderly man,
you would probably think nothing strange is going on. For elderly people in
the Vietnamese culture, thoughts of death and the things that go along with
dying, such as a coffin, are not as stressful as they are to people from Western
cultures. In fact, stress isn’t all that common a term in Vietnamese society compared to
Western societies (Phan & Silove, 1999).
Coping with stress in Vietnamese culture may include rituals, consulting a for-
tune-teller, or eating certain foods (Phan & Silove, 1999). In many Asian cultures, med-
itation is a common stress-relief tool, including the art of tai chi, a form of meditational
exercise (Yip, 2002).
Other examples of cultural differences in coping: Thai children are twice as
likely to use emotion-focused coping methods when facing powerful adults (doctors
giving shots, angry teachers, etc.) than are children in the United States (McCarty
et al., 1999). Adolescents in Northern Ireland, when compared to those in Colombia
and Australia, tend to blame themselves when experiencing stress over social issues
(e.g., fear of war, community violence) but also use more social/emotional support
(Frydenberg et al., 2001). The Colombian youth used more problem-focused coping,
as well as spiritual support and taking social action. Even within subcultures, there
are different forms of coping: In interviews with Asian American, African American,
and Hispanic American people living in New York after the September 11 terrorist
attacks, researchers found that while both African American and Hispanic American
people reported using church attendance and other forms of religious coping, Asian
Americans reported using acceptance of the event as something out of their control
( Constantine et al., 2005; Kuo, 2011). Cultures also vary in how much they engage
their social network to help them cope.
Obviously, culture is an important factor in the kinds of coping strategies an indi-
vidual may adopt and even in determining the degree of stress that is experienced.
Mental health professionals should make an effort to include an assessment of a person’s
cultural background as well as immediate circumstances when dealing with adjustment
problems due to stress.How Religion Affects Coping
11.13 Explain how religious beliefs can affect the ability to cope with stress.
A belief in a higher power can also be a source of great comfort in times of stress. There
are several ways that religious beliefs can affect the degree of stress people experience
and the ability to cope with that stress (Hill & Butter, 1995; Pargament, 1997).These Peruvian villagers in a cemetery are honoring their loved
ones who have passed away. The Day of the Dead is not only
a celebration of the lives of those who have passed on but also
a celebration for the living, who use this holiday to gain a sense
of control over one of life’s most uncontrollable events—death
itself. What rituals or ceremonies do people of other cultures
use to cope with death?