Depression and anxiety disorders among Jews from the former Soviet Union five years after their immigration to Israel

Abstract

The data suggest that immigration contributes to an increase of psychopathology which is particularly pronounced among the elderly.

Life Events, Cortisol, and Depression

“…Cambodian and Bhutanese [17,18]) refugees. These findings are consistent with high prevalence of depressive disorders found in refugees and immigrants in clinical settings in countries of resettlement [19][20][21][22]. Stress-related hypercortisolism may be one of the biological mechanisms that contribute to the development of depressive illness in refugees and immigrants.…”

Covariates of Subjective well-being among Latin American immigrants in Spain: the role of social integration in the community

“…Traditionally, immigrants tend to experience lower levels of self-esteem and a higher number of stressful life events (Martínez et al, 1999;Noh & Avison, 1996;Slonim-Nevo et al, 2006), and they tend to have a loss of significant ties when they leave their countries, frequently having to rebuild their social networks (Morrison et al, 1997;Schwarzer et al, 1994;Vega et al, 1991). The immigrants are separated from people and places they are accustomed to, they must find a job, build an entire new social life, and negotiate between their old and new cultural identities (Berry, 1992;Hovey & Magan, 2002;Oh, Koeske, & Sales, 2002;Ritsner, Ponizovsky, Kurs, & Modai, 2000;Zilber, Lerner, Eidelman, & Kertes, 2001). In this sense, and borrowing from Cowen's (2000) words, social integration in the community offers a potentially important pathway to wellness, allowing immigrant population to gain access to wider community resources that might play an important role on their SWB.…”

Psychological Wellness and Distress among Recent Immigrants: A Four‐year Longitudinal Study in Israel and Germany1

“…The classical "U" curve that was initially proposed to describe this process (Oberg, 1960;Slutzki, 1979) has long been abandoned. Contemporary immigration research explores complex multidimensional models that take into account a variety of factors (socio-demographic characteristics, pre-and post-migratory factors, environmental conditions, ethnic identity, individual and societal factors) Zilber et al, 2001;Phinney et al, 2001;Birman et al, 2002;Ritsner and Ponizowsky, 2003).…”

“…While some research shows improvement in immigrants' psychological well-being over time (Hener et al, 1997), other studies find no improvement over the span of five to eight years (e.g. Zilber et al, 2001;Miller and Gross, 2004). There is evidence that psychological crises may take place as the process of adjustment advances and that the initial phase following immigration is relatively free of excessive psychological distress (e.g.…”