Ethnic identity, acculturative stress, life satisfaction, and ways of coping among Greek-Americans
Abstract
The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relation of an individual's ethnic identity with the experienced acculturative stress, life satisfaction, and ways of coping. The participants were 150 Greek Americans who were selected from various community sources within the United States. The instruments used to measure ethnic identity, coping, acculturative stress, and life satisfaction were respectively: the Greek-American Ethnic Identity Attitude Scale, the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), the revised Social, Attitudinal, Familiar, and Environmental Questionnaire (SAFE-R), and the Satisfaction with Life Questionnaire. Correlations among the variables indicated that nationalism was positively correlated with acculturative stress while ethnic group conflict was negatively correlated with acculturative stress. Further, nationalism was negatively correlated with life satisfaction. With regard to ethnic identity and coping, nationalism was positively correlated with confrontative, self-controlling, seeking social support, accepting responsibility, and positive reappraisal coping; appropriate sex roles was positively correlated with seeking social support; group belongingness was positively correlated with self-controlling, seeking social support, and positive reappraisal; ethnic group conflict was negatively correlated with accepting responsibility and escape avoidance; and identification as a Greek American was positively correlated with self-controlling and positive reappraisal coping. In terms of the relation between coping strategies and acculturative stress, the only coping strategy that was not significantly correlated with acculturative stress was planful problem solving. Further, only one coping subscale, escape avoidance, was negatively correlated with life satisfaction. Path analysis results showed that none of the coping strategies mediated the relation between nationalism and ethnic group conflict and acculturative stress. However, seven of the eight coping subscales mediated the relation between the significant ethnic identity subscale and life satisfaction. In addressing age differences and coping, it was found that older individuals utilized less escape avoidant strategies. Moreover, females were found to seek out more social support than males who believe in planful problem-solving strategies.
Subject Area
Minority & ethnic groups|Sociology
Recommended Citation
Michelakou, Sophie George, "Ethnic identity, acculturative stress, life satisfaction, and ways of coping among Greek-Americans" (1995). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI9543458.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI9543458
