Identifying Adaptive and Maladaptive Coping With Direct and Vicarious Antisemitism Among Jews in Germany

Antisemitism has resurged globally, yet psychological research examining its impact on Jewish individuals remains limited. Grounded in theories of minority stress, coping, and intercultural adaptation, this study investigated the psychosocial outcomes of antisemitism and the role of coping mechanisms employed by Jews in Germany (N = 398), a community navigating between Jewish minority identity and German majority society in a context uniquely shaped by the collective trauma of the Holocaust. We differentiated between direct blatant antisemitism, antisemitic microaggressions, and vicarious antisemitism, and examined their relationships with mental health (anxiety, depression), subjective well-being, and social participation in the majority society. Using structural equation modeling, we tested competing hypotheses regarding the mediating roles of coping strategies (problem- and emotion-focused engagement and disengagement), social identification (Jewish and German), and perceived social support, as well as potential moderating (buffering) effects of identity and support. The results revealed that more frequenct experiences of direct antisemitism consistently triggered maladaptive pathways: it predicted increased emotion-focused disengagement, decreased emotion-focused engagement, eroded Jewish identification, and depleted perceived social support, all associated with poorer outcomes. In contrast, microaggressions showed adaptive indirect pathways through mobilizing engagement coping and social support, though these effects were less robust. Vicarious antisemitism predicted stronger Jewish identification (consistent with the rejection-identification model) but also reduced problem-focused engagement. No significant buffering effects were found for identity or social support. These findings illuminate the potentially complex mechanisms through which different forms of antisemitism affect psychological functioning and adaptation, with implications for targeted interventions.