Work Stressors and the Buffering Functions of the Sense of Control in the United States and Japan: A Test of the Diminished Buffering Hypothesis

In the Stress Process Model, the sense of control is situated as a central psychosocial resource that buffers the effect of stressors on psychological distress. Although studies support this proposition, scholars have called for more research on whether buffering effects generalize across social contexts and groups. I address this call by examining cross-cultural differences in the sense of control’s buffering effects. Prior studies suggest that perceived control is a less important resource for well-being among individuals in collectivistic cultures compared with those in individualistic cultures. This has stimulated the diminished buffering hypothesis, which predicts weaker stress-buffering of perceived control among those in collectivistic cultures. This study tests this hypothesis using population-based data of Americans and Japanese, two groups that have been deemed quintessentially individualistic and collectivistic, respectively. Results show that across a set of five prominent work stressors, there are no differences in the stress-buffering functions of the sense of control between Americans and Japanese. These patterns pose questions about the view that sense of control is a less important resource for those in collectivistic cultures. As a stress-buffering resource, the sense of control appears to be just as important for Japanese as it is for Americans.