Title
Cross-cultural differences in coping, connectedness and psychological distress among university students
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
International Journal for Innovation Education and Research
Publication Date
2-28-2015
Volume
3
Issue
2
First Page
114
Last Page
125
Publisher
The International Education Research Foundation
Keywords
Psychological Distress, Coping, Campus Connectedness, Cross-Cultural Differences
Abstract
Globally the high prevalence of psychological distress among university students is concerning. Two factors associated with low psychological distress among university students are adaptive coping strategies and campus connectedness. The current study examines the cross-cultural differences among university students across three countries, Australia, United States of America and Hong Kong in the utilization of academic coping strategies, levels of campus connectedness and psychological distress. Cross-cultural differences were examined using the theory of cultural orientations; individualism and collectivism. Participants consisted of 217 university students. The results indicated no significant differences between the countries on individualism or collectivism or on the reported use of academic coping strategies and levels of campus connectedness. Lower use of avoidance coping and higher levels of campus connectedness predicted significantly lower psychological distress for university students in all countries. The implications of the results are discussed along with limitations and future directions.
Print ISSN
24113123
E-ISSN
24112933
Publisher Statement
International Educative Research Foundation and Publisher © 2015. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyrights for articles published in IJIER journals are retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Pidgeon, A., Bales, T., Lo, B., Stapleton, P., & Magyar, H. (2015). Cross-cultural differences in coping, connectedness and psychological distress among university students. International Journal for Innovation Education and Research, 3(2), 114-125. Retrieved from http://www.ijier.net/index.php/ijier/article/view/318
