Cross-cultural Differences in Coping and Post-traumatic Growth Among Adults

Thesis Abstract

This study investigates how cultural context shapes coping strategies and post-traumatic growth (PTG) among adults exposed to traumatic events, addressing a gap in comparative cross-cultural understanding of resilience processes across diverse societies. The aim is to examine whether coping styles mediate or moderate PTG differently across cultural groups and to identify culturally salient factors that enhance growth following adversity. Specific objectives are (1) to compare the prevalence and types of coping strategies (problem-focused, emotion-focused, and meaning-making) across participants from three distinct cultural regions; (2) to assess levels of PTG and their association with coping practices within each culture; (3) to evaluate the mediating role of coping on the relation between trauma exposure and PTG; (4) to test the moderating influence of cultural values (e.g., collectivism, uncertainty avoidance) on coping-PTG linkages; and (5) to formulate culturally informed recommendations for mental health interventions. The study adopts a cross-sectional, comparative design with a quantitative-qualitative hybrid approach. A total of 900 adults (300 per cultural group East Asian, Western European, and North American) who have experienced at least one qualifying traumatic event within the past five years will be recruited through community organizations, hospitals, and online panels. Instruments include the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), the Brief COPE, the Perceived Trauma Severity Scale, and a culturally adapted Values and Beliefs Inventory capturing collectivism, religiosity, and uncertainty avoidance. Validity and reliability will be established through back-translation, pilot testing (N=60), and confirmatory factor analyses. Qualitative data will be gathered via 40 in-depth interviews (approximately 13 per cultural group) to elucidate contextual meanings of coping and growth, analyzed thematically to complement and interpret quantitative findings. Data analysis will proceed in three stages. First, descriptive statistics will characterize sample demographics and scale distributions. Second, multivariate analyses will be employed, including MANOVA to compare coping strategies and PTG across cultures, and hierarchical regression to test mediation effects of coping on trauma exposure and PTG. Third, moderated mediation analyses will examine whether cultural values influence the strength of coping-PTG relationships, using PROCESS macro for SPSS. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts will identify culturally salient coping narratives and growth themes, with coding conducted by two independent researchers and adjudicated for reliability. Integration of quantitative and qualitative results will follow a convergent parallel design, with triangulation to interpret divergent or convergent findings. Expected results anticipate higher PTG in cultures with strong meaning-making and communal coping norms, and differential reliance on problem-focused versus emotion-focused strategies across groups. It is hypothesized that coping will partially mediate the trauma-PTG relationship in all groups, with the mediation effect stronger in collectivist cultures due to social support networks, while individualistic contexts may show a more self-driven growth trajectory. Cultural values are expected to moderate these processes, such that collectivism amplifies the impact of meaning-based coping on PTG, whereas uncertainty avoidance attenuates the influence of emotion-focused strategies. The study contributes to knowledge by mapping cross-cultural variations in coping and PTG, refining theoretical models of resilience to incorporate cultural context, and identifying culturally sensitive intervention targets to foster PTG after trauma. The findings will inform clinical practice by highlighting culturally congruent coping frameworks, potential risks of maladaptive coping, and pathways to facilitate growth across diverse populations. Limitations include cross-sectional design impeding causal inferences and potential self-selection biases; these will be mitigated through rigorous sampling and robust analytic strategies. Practical recommendations include developing culture-specific psychoeducation, enhancing meaning-centered and social-support interventions, and training clinicians to recognize culturally nuanced expressions of growth. The study concludes that while trauma-related growth is a universal human possibility, its trajectory and expression are profoundly shaped by cultural contexts, demanding culturally attuned approaches in research and practice.