OLD VALUES IN A NEW LAND: ACCULTURATION IN ELDERLY IMMIGRANTS

Studies of different ethnic groups (e.g., Indochinese, Korean) have found that elderly immigrants report higher rates of psychological distress than their non-immigrant counterparts (Browne, Fong, & Mokuau, 1994; Kiefer et al., 1985).  In particular, immigration may provide a unique set of stressors for elderly people, because they are typically less flexible than younger immigrants in adjusting to a new culture (Mirsky & Barasch, 1993). In addition, older immigrants generally find it more difficult to learn a new language and adopt new behavioral norms and values (Mirsky & Barasch, 1993; Tran, 1992).  Although few studies have examined acculturation and adjustment in elderly samples of immigrants from the former USSR, existing studies have largely supported the notion that elderly immigrants experience considerable difficulties making the adjustment to the new culture (Flaherty et al., 1986; Kohn et al., 1989).

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether different styles of acculturation had an impact on the elderly immigrants' adjustment, as indicated by measures of physical and mental health.  The sample consisted of 145 elderly immigrants (mean age = 67.14, SD=7.05) from the former Soviet Union who are currently residing in Chicago.  Acculturation was measured using the Soviet-Jewish Acculturation Measure (SAM, Lyubansky & Shpungin, 1998).  Based on previous acculturation studies of other ethnic and age groups, it was hypothesized that respondents reporting higher levels of  involvement in each culture would report fewer psychological and physical problems.  Results showed moderate support for this hypothesis.  After controlling for age, respondents who were more involved in the U.S. culture presented fewer complaints on some outcome scales but not on others. Implications of the findings for service provision and further research are discussed.