Temperament and styles of coping in a stressful situation and psychological consequences resulting from emigration

Abstract

Introduction: Any type of migration, including voluntary migration, carries mental health risks. Existing theories of temperament emphasize its biological character. Temperament can modify the severity and type of psychological consequences that result from emigration stress. Material and methods: The study was conducted on 96 Polish emigrants who live in the Netherlands. The research was carried out in the period of 12 July to 20 September 2017. Respondents had been in exile from one to 20 years. All respondents are adults. The following research tools were used: Temperament Questionnaire EAS, Mini-COPE Stress Measurement Inventory, Positive and Negative Experience Scale (SPIND), STAI Self-Assessment Questionnaire and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Results: In the group of surveyed emigrants, individual temperamental traits are significantly associated with psychological consequences resulting from emigration stress. Moreover, selected personal resources are significantly related to constructive strategies for coping with stress in emigration. A relationship was found between temperament and psychological consequences of emigration stress: Positive Feelings, Negative Feelings, Affective Balance, Anxiety-State, Life Satisfaction. Moreover, a relationship was found between the strategies for coping with stress and the psychological consequences of emigration stress: Positive Feelings, Negative Feelings, Affective Balance, Anxiety-State, Life Satisfaction. Conclusions: The more sociable a person is, the more positive feelings they have and the more satisfied they are with their lives. People who are social have fewer negative feelings and show less anxiety as a state. The more dissatisfied a person feels, the fewer positive feelings he has and the less satisfaction he or she shows with life. People who are dissatisfied have more negative feelings and show a greater level of anxiety as a state. The more fear a person feels, the fewer positive feelings he has and the less satisfied with life he is. People with fear have more negative feelings and show a higher level of state anxiety. The more angry a person is, the fewer positive feelings they have and the less satisfaction they experience with their lives. It was also found that people who feel angry have more negative feelings and they show a higher level of state anxiety.