PSYCHOLOGICAL DYSFUNCTION IN SOUTHEAST-ASIAN REFUGEES AS MEDIATED BY SENSE OF COHERENCE

Investigated Antonovky's (1979, 1987) construct of sense of coherence (i.e., an individual's belief that the world was comprehensible, manag eable, and meaningful) as the infernal psychological mechanism mediati ng the effects of external stressors (generalized resistance deficits) and resources on psychological dysfunction (measured by depression, a nxiety, and psychosocial dysfunction) in 2,234 Vietnamese, Cambodian L aotian, Hmong, and Chinese-Vietnamese refugees. Generalized resistance and deficits significantly predicted sense of coherence as well as ps ychological dysfunction. The amount Of variance accounted for increase d significantly when the mediating effect of sense of coherence was te sted using a path analysis. Sense of coherence significantly reduced t he predictive power of generalized resistance and deficits in the psyc hological dysfunction models. Results support the hypothesized mediati ng role of sense of coherence. Thus, interventions aiming to enhance S outheast Asian refugees' functioning may gain in effectiveness by targ eting and promoting their sense of coherence.