title: Emotional suppression and well-being in immigrants and majority group members in the Netherlands.
abstract: We were interested in interethnic differences in emotional suppression. We propose a model in which suppression of specific emotional experiences (suppressive behaviours during interactions with others) mediates the relationship between emotional suppression tendency (intention to suppress emotions) and well-being, operationalised as mood disturbance, life dissatisfaction and depressive and physical symptoms. The sample consisted of 427 majority group members and 344 non-Western and 465 Western immigrants in the Netherlands. Non-Western immigrants scored higher on emotional suppression tendency and lower on well-being than the other groups. We did not find interethnic differences in suppression of specific emotional experiences. The full mediation model was supported in all groups. Interethnic differences in well-being could not be accounted for by differences in emotional suppression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Snežana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stupar
authors.forename: Fons J R
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: van de Vijver
authors.forename: Johnny R J
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Fontaine
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012094:Repression, Psychology; D057566:Self Report
keywords: Emotional suppression; Immigrants; The Netherlands; Well-being