The article presents the results of a study of the national psychological characteristics of coping behavior in men and women as representatives of Russian and Ossetian ethnic groups. The sample of the study was 160 people, aged 25 to 55 years (the average age was 33.5) living in Vladikavkaz, the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. Significant differences in the preferred coping strategies among men and women of different ethnic groups are described. Knowledge and consideration of cross-cultural factors that influence the formation of the coping behavior of an individual is of great importance for interethnic interaction. They complement the ideas about the national psychological characteristics of representatives of different nationalities living in the same region, and also describe the differences in coping behavior of men and women of different ethnic groups in situations of overcoming difficult life situations. National psychological characteristics are fundamental characteristics of the public consciousness of the country's population, it is they who are the main motivators of their everyday life and daily activities, communication and interaction with other people. To know and correctly interpret them, it is mainly possible to conduct scientific comparisons and comparisons of representatives of different ethnic communities, for example, as suggested by the authors of the article, Ossetians and Russians.