The role of cultural psychological orientations for flexibility in coping with stress in Polish adolescents

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the dominant cultural psychological orientation among Polish youth, the role of individualism and collectivism for flexibility in coping, and the assessment of the modifying role of gender and age of the studied youth for the relationship between the included cultural psychological orientations and the flexibility in coping with stress. Materials and methods: A total of 367 adolescents (131 boys and 236 girls) aged between 13 and 20 participated in the study. The following methods were used: the Individualism–Collectivist Questionnaire by Harry Triandis and Michele Gelfand, Flexibility in Coping with Stress Questionnaire by Basińska et al., and a personal survey. Results: Polish adolescents obtained the highest average score in the psychological orientation of vertical collectivism. There were statistically significant positive correlations between horizontal individualism, horizontal collectivism, vertical collectivism and flexibility in coping and its dimensions. Moreover, Polish adolescents’ psychological orientation – horizontal individualism – was a predictor of flexibility in coping with stress and its dimensions. The analysis revealed that the model for the relationship between horizontal individualism and coping competences with the modifying role of age was statistically significant. Younger adolescents (from 13 to 17 years of age) were more individually oriented horizontally, and had higher coping competences, whereas in the group of older adolescents (>17.4) this effect was not observed. Conclusions: The results of the study are an important contribution to the recognition of flexibility in coping, but also answer numerous questions about its relationships with cultural psychological orientation.