Psychosocial coping resources and health among Germans and Poles

• Authors: Harry Schrőder , Konrad Reschke , Angelika Gärtner , Łukasz D. Kaczmarek , Helena Sęk , Michał Ziarko , Tomasz Pasikowski
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Culture has a substantial impact on mechanism of coping with stress and related health outcomes. We proposed a model emphasizing the mediating role of coping resources and competences in the relationship between controllability of demands in professional/educational life and health in the cross-cultural context. The model is based on the transactional model of stress. 595 participants from East Germany, West Germany and Poland completed: Sense of Coherence Scale SOC-9, Self-Esteem Scale, Social Support Scale, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, Proactive Coping Inventory, Scale of Demands in Professional Life, Brief Stress Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale and Mental Health Questionnaire. The results have shown the general cross-cultural validity of the proposed mediational model but also indicated some cultural differences in the determinants of health. Germans had higher self-esteem and social support. Poles had higher selfefficacy and used proactive coping strategies more often. Self-esteem was the strongest predictor of mental health in both nations. We discussed the results within a broad interpretive framework of social transitions.

Keywords

EN

stress; coping resources; mental health; satisfaction with life; social transition

• Publisher: Committee for Psychological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Polish Psychological Bulletin
• Year: 2011
• Volume: 42
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 114-122

Contributors

author

Harry Schrőder

• Institute of Psychology, Clinical & Health Psychology, University of Leipzig, Germany

author

Konrad Reschke

• Institute of Psychology, Clinical & Health Psychology, University of Leipzig, Germany

author

Angelika Gärtner

• Institute of Psychology, Clinical & Health Psychology, University of Leipzig, Germany

author

Łukasz D. Kaczmarek

• Institute of Psychology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland

author

Helena Sęk

• Warsaw School of Social Psychology, Department in Wrocław, Poland

author

Michał Ziarko

• Institute of Psychology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland

author

Tomasz Pasikowski

• Institute of Psychology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/v10059-011-0016-8