Acculturative stress of missionaries: Does religious orientation affect religious coping and adjustment?

The focus of the present study is the acculturation process of missionaries residing in foreign countries. Combining two theoretical frameworks (religious orientations and sojourner acculturation), the study explores the relationships between the stress/adjustment model of acculturation and religious orientations. Seventy-six missionaries, posted overseas for at least one year, completed several measures, including measures of religious orientation, perceived stress, religious coping, adjustment and anxiety. It was found, in many ways, missionary acculturation follows a similar stress/coping model as other sojourner groups. However, it was found that religious orientations differentially predict perceived stress; higher scores of extrinsic perceive more stress, whereas, higher scores of quest predict less perceived stress. Correlations between religious orientations and posting satisfaction, and pathology (depression and anxiety) are also discussed.