Coping Strategies, Resilience, and Psychological Well-Being among Exiled Tibetan Adults: A Comparative Study of Tibet and India born Adults

Description

Page: 142-148

Tenzin Dakpa and Sujata Bhau (Department of Psychology, University Institute of Liberal Arts and Humanities, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab)

The displacement of Tibetans from their homeland has led to the creation of a unique refugee community that faces various challenges, including cultural adjustment, trauma, and major depressive disorder. This study compares the coping strategies, resilience, and psychological well-being of exiled Tibetan adults born in India and those born in Tibet. A total of 117 participants (Tibetan Adults born in India = 60, Tibetan Adults born in Tibet = 57) completed Ryff’s Psychological Well-being Scale (Ryff & Keyes, 1995); Brief COPE (Carver, 1997); and Brief Resilience Scale (Smith et al., 2008). The data was analyzed by using independent samples t-tests. The results showed no significant differences in resilience and coping strategies among the two groups. There was a significant difference in self-acceptance dimension of Psychological Well-being between the two groups, with India born participants having a higher mean score on self-acceptance than Tibet born participants (t = 2.41, p < 0.01). The findings and potential interventions are discussed in the light of the obtained findings.