The effect of ethnic origin on personality resources and psychophysiological health in a chronic stress situation: the case of spouses of dialysis patients

The present study examined the modifying effects of ethnic origin on the differences between spouses of dialysis patients and control spouses of healthy people in terms of their psychophysiological state of health (Langner 22 Item Scale), coping style (Shanan's Sentence Completion Test) and Locus of Control. The findings indicate that: a) modifying effects of ethnic origin are far greater than those of other background variables, and b) the personality resources of spouses of dialysis patients of Oriental origin are less impaired than those of spouses of Western origin but that the increase in their psychophysiological (mainly physiological) symptoms is greater. It is suggested that the spouses manifest different patterns of reactions to the stress of dialysis according to their ethnic origin: While spouses of Western origin were more vulnerable to deleterious psychological effects, the spouses of Oriental origin tended to express their stress in somatic symptoms.