THE MODERATING EFFECTS OF COPING STYLES AND SOCIAL SUPPORT ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF ACCULTURATIVE STRESS AMONG ARAB AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS

Arab Americans are severely underrepresented in research, despite exhibiting dire mental health needs. This population endures unique stressors, such as discrimination and acculturation, which may potentially explain their poor mental health outcomes. However, social support and coping styles have been shown to protect against the negative psychological implications of culture-based risk factors, such as acculturative stress. Therefore, this study examined how social support and coping styles moderate the relationship between acculturative stress and mental health symptoms among Arab American college students. Through survey data, 138 participants (mean age = 20 years, SD = 2.04) showed that acculturative stress was positively associated with depression (β = .245, p = .004), anxiety (β = .224, p = .0075), and overall mental health (β = .265, p = .0001). The results also produced two marginally significant moderations. Problem-focused coping moderates the association between acculturative stress and overall mental health (β = -.299, p = .0504) as well as anxiety symptoms (β = -.264, p = .0893). Specifically, utilizing greater problem-focused coping seems to weaken the relationship between acculturative stress and overall mental health as well as anxiety symptoms. These findings highlight the need to understand Arab Americans’ unique psychological needs through a sociocultural lens, and this study suggests implications for future research and clinical practices.