Investigated Antonovky's (1979, 1987) construct of sense of coherence (i.e., an individual's belief that the world was comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful) as the internal psychological mechanism mediating the effects of external Stressors (generalized resistance deficits) and resources on psychological dysfunction (measured by depression, anxiety, and psychosocial dysfunction) in 2,234 Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Hmong, and Chinese-Vietnamese refugees. Generalized resistance and deficits significantly predicted sense of coherence as well as psychological dysfunction. The amount of variance accounted for increased significantly when the mediating effect of sense of coherence was tested using a path analysis. Sense of coherence significantly reduced the predictive power of generalized resistance and deficits in the psychological dysfunction models. Results support the hypothesized mediating role of sense of coherence. Thus, interventions aiming to enhance Southeast Asian refugees' functioning may gain in effectiveness by targeting and promoting their sense of coherence. © 1997 Plenum Publishing Corporation.

Psychological dysfunction Cultural traditionalism Psychosocial dysfunction Southeast Asian refugees Depression Anxiety Sense of coherence trauma

depression refugee anxiety disorder psychological aspect human Refugees middle aged Internal-External Control control Aged Depressive Disorder Anxiety Disorders ethnology United States Humans Adolescent California Asian Americans male Asian American female Southeast Asia self concept Article social adaptation adult defense mechanism posttraumatic stress disorder Defense Mechanisms Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Social Adjustment Asia, Southeastern