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

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.