The influence of culture at the personal level: idiocentrism, allocentrism, stress, coping, & adjustment in New Zealand adolescents

Abstract

This study sought to test the applicability of measuring culture at the individual level with adolescents and to replicate the findings of previous studies that have found cultural constructs and coping strategies to moderate the stress negotiation process. Idiocentrism, allocentrism, stress, rumination, aggression, problem solving, social support, and adjustment were measured in a sample of 2322 New Zealand adolescents. Idiocentrism and allocentrism were demonstrated to be reliable and valid constructs for use with adolescents. Māori and Pacific Nations adolescents reported higher levels of daily stress than Asian and European New Zealanders (ENZ). Mean ethnic group differences were also recorded for rumination, aggression, problem solving, and marginally for social support. Higher rumination and aggression levels predicted poor adjustment in all ethnic groups, while high social support predicted better adjustment. The main effect results for the Māori and ENZ adolescents were qualified through moderational analysis. Overall, there was a tendency for the coping strategies to exacerbate the stress negotiation process under conditions of low stress for these adolescents. However, the coping strategies were not found to linearly influence the stress negotiation process for the Pacific Nations and Asian adolescents. In addition, direct relationships among idiocentrism, allocentrism, and the coping strategies were established in the four ethnic groups using path analysis. The findings of the present study highlight the importance of testing constructs in a variety of cultural settings before they are incorporated into general understanding.