Stress Syndromes and Stress Predictors in American and Polish College Students

Abstract

The basic premise of this cross-national study was that political-cultural-historical orientations can combine to produce stress-buffering moderator variables. A total of 380 American and Polish college students were subjected to a series of measures in which the Americans scored higher on internal locus of control and social support, and the Poles scored higher on external locus of control, anxiety, and depression. As hypothesized, internal locus of control buffered stress among Americans, in line with their presumed individualistic privatistic orientation. However, the expected stress-buffering power of social support among the Poles, with their presumed collectivistic-institutional orientation, did not materialize. The latter finding is discussed in terms of the social stratification and competition for limited resources that mark the current Polish political scene.