Family Stress and Support among Former Soviet Immigrants

Aroian, Karen J.; Spitzer, Ada; Bell, Margaret

doi:10.1177/019394599601800604

Cited by 67 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…This type of stress may be seen as a kind of acculturation stress, taking place in relation to adjustments to cultural changes [26] . As acculturation stress has been found to also generate stress in other family members [27] , the need for incorporating a family system perspective in the care of this group of older people is obvious [28] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of health and care when growing old in Norway - From the perspective of elderly immigrants with minority ethnic backgrounds

Thyli¹,

Hedelin²,

Athlin³

2014

Clinical Nursing Studies

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Background: Along with the growing population in Norway of older people with immigrant backgrounds from countries in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe there is a need for a better understanding of trans-cultural aging, illness experiences and care preferences among minorities and their families.Aim: This study explored older ethnic minority immigrants' experiences of growing old in Norway with a focus on health and care.Design: An explorative, descriptive design with a grounded theory approach was used. Method:The data was collected in Norway by means of open-ended interviews with nine ethnic minority immigrants representing an age span from 63 to 85 years. In total 15 interviews were conducted, with the sampling, data collection and analysis carried out simultaneously and guided by the constant comparative method.Results: This study showed that the most important issue when growing old in a new homeland as an ethnic minority immigrant was to be surrounded by one's family. When the needs for care increased due to changes in age and health, the family was seen as the only possible solution. Feelings of fear and distrust, language barriers, and preferences for the familiar care were reasons for this. Due to cultural rules it was taken for granted that the younger generation took on responsibility for their older parents/relatives in need of care, which led to feelings of dependency and being a burden. A high price had been paid for finding a new homeland. Conclusions and Implications for Practice:The elderly immigrants' expectations of care was found to be strongly connected with traditions from their native country, where it was taken for granted that the younger generation took the responsibility for their older parents/relatives in need of care. Our findings highlighted the dilemma of culturally determined controversies, as elderly immigrants' beliefs and values about care within the family may be rather difficult to unite with a life in a new Western society. Nursing practice needs to implement a more family-oriented care perspective in order to meet the needs of elderly people with ethnic minority and immigrant backgrounds. Further it is important to increase elderly immigrants' feelings of trust and cultural safety towards health-care services.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of health and care when growing old in Norway - From the perspective of elderly immigrants with minority ethnic backgrounds

Thyli¹,

Hedelin²,

Athlin³

2014

Clinical Nursing Studies

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“…California has resettled more refugees than any other state, and Santa Clara County has resettled the third highest number of refugees of any of the 42 counties in the past 5 years, including Bosnians and former Soviets, the majority of whom are Russian and Ukrainian. Research has been conducted on the health of immigrants and refugees from the FSU, such as Aroian and colleagues' (Aroian, Khatutsky, Tran, & Balsam, 2001;Aroian & Norris, 1999;Aroian, Spitzer, & Bell, 1996) recent work related to family issues, somatization, and health service use, but there is little literature on the more recently arrived Bosnians (Kopinak, 1999;Van den Heuvel, 1998;Weine, 2001).…”

Section: Refugee Health Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bosnian and Soviet Refugees' Experiences with Health Care

et al. 2003

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Studies of refugees in the United States rarely address health the first few years following resettlement in part because the refugees become subsumed under the foreign-born or immigrant category. A national study reaffirmed the so-called healthy immigrant effect, but fewer sick days and less physician use may actually reflect access problems, economic concerns, and health beliefs or practices that clash with American health care. Because statistics may mask differences in health and why people seek professional care, it is important to combine qualitative and quantitative approaches. This study examined health, illness, and health care use patterns of refugees in Northern California using a database analysis, a medical record review, and an ethnographic study of the Bosnian and former Soviet Union refugee communities. This article describes some ethnographic findings from participant observation, semistructured interviews, and focus groups, with an emphasis on people's experiences with health care, health risk behaviors, and self-care.

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“…If a child displayed severe behavioral or personality problems, he or she may have been referred to a child psychiatrist and could have been labeled as having a problem such as 'mental disturbance' (Kozulin & Vegner, 1999). Therefore, parents in the Soviet era preferred to solve problems within the family circle by disciplinary measures, without seeking help from formal sources (Aroian et al, 1996) …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical punishment as perceived by parents in Russia: implications for professionals involved in the care of children

Shor

2006

Early Child Development and Care

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To contribute to a knowledge base about the approach of families in Russia towards implementing physical punishment, a study was conducted with 100 parents in St Petersburg. A majority of the participants indicated that it was legitimate to use some measure of physical punishment. The use of an object as a measure was considered acceptable by one-third of the participants, especially towards children in the age range 5-12. Forty percent of the participants thought that physical punishment should be implemented in a less harsh way towards girls. The most frequently mentioned rationale for its implementation was violation of collectivist-based norms. A majority of the participants expressed disapproval for state intervention in the way parents handle inappropriate behavior of children unless the situation was extreme. They also indicated a medium-to-low level of willingness to seek help from formal sources if their child has a problem. Since physical punishment is considered a risk factor for physical abuse, the findings illuminate the necessity for professionals involved in the care of children to design prevention and intervention programs that could reduce this risk.

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Family Stress and Support among Former Soviet Immigrants

Cited by 67 publications

References 25 publications

Experiences of health and care when growing old in Norway - From the perspective of elderly immigrants with minority ethnic backgrounds

Experiences of health and care when growing old in Norway - From the perspective of elderly immigrants with minority ethnic backgrounds

Bosnian and Soviet Refugees' Experiences with Health Care

Physical punishment as perceived by parents in Russia: implications for professionals involved in the care of children

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