Gender Difference in the Association between Religious Participation and Acculturative Stress: Evidence from Korean Immigrants in the United States

Abstract

The present study examines the interplay between participation in religious services and gender differences in mitigating acculturative stress among Korean immigrants in the United States. Using cross-sectional survey data from a total of 164 Korean immigrants, our findings suggest that participation in religious services is significantly associated with a lower level of acculturative stress, and the negative association became stronger when a participant is female. This study is one of few empirical studies that examine the differential role of participation in religious services across gender in reducing acculturative stress among Korean immigrants in the United States.