The Moderating Role of Coping Styles in the Association Between Discrimination and Depression Among Bicultural Adults

Abstract

Migration is a global phenomenon which has increased immensely during the past decades, yet knowledge about cultural challenges for bicultural individuals such as the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health is scarce. Thus, the present study investigated the relationship between perceived discrimination and depression among young bicultural adults and the moderating role of coping styles on this relationship. More specifically, it was investigated whether a certain coping style (problem-focused vs emotion-focused vs avoidant coping) can mitigate the impact of discrimination on depressive symptoms to identify potential protective factors. The online survey was completed by 68 bicultural individuals with a mean age of 26.18 years (SD = 3.94), and included multiple questionnaires designed to measure individuals’ levels of depression, perceived discrimination, and coping strategies. The study revealed that perceived discrimination was positively correlated with symptoms of depression among bicultural individuals. Moreover, avoidant coping was significantly related to depressive symptoms, suggesting a linkage between avoidance coping and depression. Further research and clinical practice should thus, focus on how to strengthen and promote bicultural people’s skills to employ problem-focused coping strategies as this might be beneficial to reduce, and ultimately prevent depression in the face of discriminatory stress among a bicultural population.