Abstract
Purpose
This study examined social problem solving as a hypothesized mediator of the association between loneliness and psychological ill-being (viz., depressive symptoms & hopelessness) in American and Chinese adults.
Methods
A total of 320 (229 female & 91 male) American adults and 357 (194 male & 163 female) Chinese adults participated in the present study.
Results
Mediation testing for social problem solving as a hypothesized mechanism accounting for the positive association between loneliness and psychological ill-being identified differences between Americans and Chinese. For Americans, the presence of a negative problem orientation was consistently found to partially mediate the association between loneliness and psychological ill-being. In contrast, for Chinese, the absence of a positive problem orientation was consistently found to partially mediate the association between loneliness and psychological ill-being. For both groups, no evidence was found for the importance of any of the problem-solving styles in accounting for psychological ill-being.
Conclusion
These findings not only indicate that how adults perceive problems matters more than how they approach solving them, but also point to important cultural differences regarding which problem orientation is most involved for understanding the positive association between loneliness and psychological ill-being in Easterners, compared to Westerners.
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Data Availability
For information regarding access to the data associated with the present study, please contact the first author.
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The first author would like to acknowledge Tae Myung-Sook and Chang Suk-Choon for their encouragement and support throughout this project.
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ECC had a primary role in conceptualization, methodology, data collection, formal analyses, developing the first draft, and finalizing the revised version. HY had a primary role in conceptualization, methodology, data collection, and contributory role in formal analyses and reviewing/editing the draft.
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Chang, E.C., Yang, H. Examining Cultural Differences in How Loneliness is Associated with Psychological Ill-Being Through Social Problem Solving: Does How You Perceive Problems Matter More Than How You Tackle Them?. Cogn Ther Res 48, 266–280 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-023-10438-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-023-10438-w