Enlisting your partner versus dealing with it yourself: A comparison of married couples in the United States and India Ashley K. Randall 1, Shannon A. Corkery 1, Deepti Duggi 2, Valerie J. Young 1, Shanmukh V. Kamble 2, & Emily A. Butler 1 1=University of Arizona, 2=Karnatak University, India Abstract Background Results Conclusions and Implications Acknowledgements Problems may be dealt with by taking individual action or by enlisting others. These strategies appear to be effective in European American samples, but may be used less often in collectivistic cultures (Taylor et al., 2004). We assessed these strategies in married couples and compared European Americans living in the U.S. (N = 20 couples) with Indians living in India (N = 20) using daily diary reports. Counter to prediction, Indians reported more enlisting partner support (EPS) and taking individual action (TIA). However, Indian women and both American genders reported higher EPS on days when they felt more negative, but Indian men did not. Results suggest that EPS may be effective for both genders in egalitarian cultures, but may be constrained to women in more patriarchal relationships. Indians reported lower TIA on high-negative days, suggesting that dealing with minor, but not serious, problems individually may be ‘acceptable’ in collectivistic cultures. The authors acknowledge funding from the Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth, and Families. Hypothesis 1 – Supported (see Figures 1 and 2). Results showed Indians reported enlisting their partners support more compared to Americans, F(1,421)=13.00, p<.001. This effect was significant for Indian women, t(421)=2.3, p<.05, but not for Indian men, t(421)=.90, p=.37. This effect was significant for both American women, t(421)=3.47, p<.01 and American men, t(421)=3.81, p<.001. Figure 1. Indian women report enlisting their partners support on days when they felt more negative. Figure 2. Both American genders report enlisting their partners support on days when they felt more negative. Hypothesis 2 – Not supported (see Figures 3 and 4). Results showed Indians reported taking individual action more as compared to Americans, F(1,421)=8.36, p<.01. This effect was significant for Indian women, t(421)=-3.35, p<.001 but not for Indian men, t(421)=-3.85 p<.001. This effect was marginally significant for American women, t(421)=1.90, p=.058 and non significant for American men, t(421)=.77, p=.44. Figure 3. Indians reported taking individual action less on high negative days. Figure 4. Americans reported taking more individual action on high negative days. Measures Self-reported taking individual action: One item assessed the extent to which the participant took individual action to do something about a situation to try to solve a problem, or change their emotions. Self-reported enlisting of partner: One item assessed the extent to which the individual enlisted the help of their partner to try to solve a problem or change their emotions on a given day. People from individualistic cultures consider personal attributes more relevant than those from collectivistic cultures (Sedikides, Gaertner, & Toguchi, 2003). These cultural differences could suggest dyadic strategies in dealing with emotions may be different within cultures. We hypothesize that those from collectivistic cultures would be more likely to enlist the help of their partner, whereas that individualistic cultures would be more likely to take individual action in solving problems. We also wondered the if the effect engaging in such coping strategies would have on days when people felt most negative. Methods Participants Participants included a total of 40 male/female dyads (20 from the US, 20 from India). U.S. Sample: 20 couples, age (M = yrs, SD = 10.01), relationship length (M = yrs, SD = 8.12). India Sample: 20 couples, age (M = yrs, SD = 7.71), relationship length (M = 9.97 yrs, SD = 8.02). Procedure Participants from the U.S. completed a 7 day daily diary survey. Indian participants completed a paper daily diary survey. Methods, cont. Research suggests that exchange relationships are more common in individualistic cultures versus collectivistic cultures (e.g., Triandis, 1989). However, our results suggested that enlisting in partners emotions was most common for individuals of collectivistic cultures. We also found on highly negative days, those from collectivistic cultures tended to take individual action more often than those from individualistic societies. Future research should be conducted to examine the nature of the problems each couple faced (e.g. major vs. minor, acute vs. chronic). It could be suggested that dealing with minor everyday problems could be acceptable in collectivistic cultures, but seeking help in dealing with problems that could have a larger impact on the in-group is most acceptable.