Exploring the Complexity of Coping Strategies Among People of Different Racial Identities

Abstract

Everyone responds to stress differently by using a wide variety of coping strategies. The current study (N = 898; 71.16% White, 13.36% Asian, 6.68% Black, 3.23% Multiracial, 5.57% Other) investigated the relationship between 12 coping strategies of the COPE Inventory (Carver et al., 1989) and 5 racial identities. As expected and in line with previous work, Asian and Black participants tended to use more religious coping ( p < .001), and Asian participants tended to use more restraint as a coping mechanism than White participants (p < .001). Our sample in this study, however, uncovered some novel trends. Interestingly, Asian participants tended to use a diverse mixture of coping strategies, including focusing on and venting of emotions (p = .04), instrumental social support (p = .02), active coping (p = .05), coping humor (p < .001), emotional social support (p = .03), and suppression of competing activities (p < .001). The use of these different coping strategies was counterintuitive due to the nature of Asian collectivist culture. The coping strategies of venting of emotions, instrumental social support, emotional social support, and suppression of competing activities active coping, in particular, challenge collectivist culture norms of emotional control and group harmony. Additional results are reported and explained. The current study suggests that coping strategies vary by racial identity and that people of color tend to utilize more coping strategies than White people.