Integrating the effects of shift and persist coping strategies on mental health: Evidence from an internal meta-analysis in a Japanese population

Abstract

This study evaluates the applicability of the Shift-and-Persist (SAP) theory, focusing on the Japanese population. The SAP theory postulates that combining ‘shifting’ (adapting to stressors) and ‘persisting’ (enduring adversity with optimism) promotes resilience across physical, physiological, and psychological outcomes. Despite the theoretical appeal of SAP theory, empirical evidence supporting its effectiveness in mental health, particularly in non-Western contexts, is inconsistent and sometimes contradictory. We conducted an internal meta-analysis using six pre-registered studies (N = 7519) to examine the SAP theory's applicability in Japan. We investigated two hypotheses: (1) The interaction effects between socioeconomic status (SES), shifting, and persisting mitigate depressive tendencies, and (2) the main effect of the persisting strategy can mitigate depressive tendencies, independently of SES and shifting levels. Results indicated no interaction effects between shifting and persisting; instead, only significant main effects of both shifting and persisting, not supporting Hypotheses 1 or 2. These findings may indicate the critical role of persisting as a protective factor on negative psychological outcomes, although the interaction effect between shifting and persisting in Japanese samples appears limited. The implications of these findings for significant questions about the generalizability of SAP theory and the need to consider cultural factors in psychological interventions are discussed.