Stress, Coping, and Well-Being: A Study of Ethnic Differences Among Older Adults

The present research builds on findings of recent studies, which suggest to marketers the value of understanding consumers' experience of and responses to life-changing events. This article reports the results of a large-scale survey in Malaysia, a country comprised of diverse cultures. We examine how consumers of the country's three main ethnic subcultures (Malays, Chinese, and Indians) of different religions (Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus respectively) differ in consumption activities in response to stress-induced life events. Specifically, we examine cultural differences in emotion-focused coping responses to stress as well as the consequences of these responses to consumers' well-being. We find that the three ethnic groups, which differ with respect to their degree of religious commitment, also differ with respect to their employment of emotion-focused strategies. Some moderating effects of emotion-focused coping responses to stressful life events are noted, and implications of findings are drawn for marketing practitioners and consumer researchers.