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Cited by 407Cultural Differences and ValuesAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesPersonality Traits and Psychology

Cultural meaning of perceived control: A meta-analysis of locus of control and psychological symptoms across 18 cultural regions.

Cheng, Cecilia, Cheung, Shu Fai, Chio, Jasmine Hin-man, Chan, Man-Pui Sally·2013·Psychological Bulletin
DOI 10.1037/a0028596
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Abstract

Integrating more than 40 years of studies on locus of control (LOC), this meta-analysis investigated whether (a) the magnitude of the relationship between LOC and psychological symptoms differed among cultures with distinct individualist orientations and (b) depression and anxiety symptoms yielded different patterns of cultural findings with LOC. We included studies that examined global self-ratings of LOC and at least 1 of the criterion variables in nonclinical samples (age range: 18-80 years). Data were analyzed on the basis of 152 independent samples, representing the testing of 33,224 adults across 18 cultural regions. Results revealed moderately strong relationships for external LOC with depression symptoms (k = 123, N = 28,490, r = .30, 95% confidence interval [CI] [.27, .32]) and anxiety symptoms (k = 65, N = 13,208, r = .30, 95% CI [.27, .33]). Individualism explained 20% of unique variance only in the external LOC-anxiety relationship: The link between external LOC and anxiety symptoms was weaker for collectivist societies (k = 8, N = 2,297, r = .20, 95% CI [.13, .28]) compared with individualist societies (k = 54, N = 9,887, r = .32, 95% CI [.29, .34]). Such cultural differences were attributed to the reduced emphasis on agentic goals in more collectivist societies. It is noteworthy that external LOC does not carry the same negative connotations across cultures, and members of collectivist societies may be more ready to endorse such items. Culture has been examined at the country level, and the findings may not be applicable to any particular person in a cultural region. Implications for integrating cultural meaning of perceived control into formulation of theories, research design, and intervention programs are discussed.

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  • Exposure to uncontrollable stressors biases controllability estimation, establishing relevance for neuropsychiatric disorders involving altered perceptions of controllability.

    “Furthermore, exposure to uncontrollable stressors biases this process assessed by the explore-and-predict task, hence establishing its relevance for the study of neuropsychiatric disorders involving altered perceptions of controllability 9,12,13,35 .”

    From Stress-sensitive inference of task controllability (2022) · cites this paper as [9]

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Authors
Cheng, C., Cheung, S. F., Chio, J. H.-M., & Chan, M.-P. S.
Affiliations
  • University of Hong Kong (HK)
  • University of Macau (MO)
ORCID
Venue
Psychological Bulletin
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2013-01
Volume
139
Issue
1
Pages
152-188
ISSN
  • 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1455
DOI
10.1037/a0028596
OpenAlex
W2004357556
Cited by
407
References
300
Citations by year
2026: 30 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 36 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 35 · 2021: 62 · 2020: 53 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
FWCI
1.72
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • The HKU Scholars Hub (University of Hong Kong) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Hong Kong Research Grants Council (HKU 742810H; 201011159109)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
Keywords
locus of control, perceived control, cultural differences, individualism, collectivism, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, psychological symptoms, agentic goals, cross-cultural psychology
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Africa, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Anxiety Disorders, Asia, Australia, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Depressive Disorder, Europe, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Male, Middle Aged, New Zealand, North America, Perception, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult

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