Migration and changes in loneliness over a 4-year period: the case of older former Soviet Union immigrants in Israel

Abstract

Both older adult and immigrant populations are at a high risk of loneliness. The current research compares older veteran Israelis to older immigrants who arrived in Israel from the former Soviet Union (FSU) after 1989. Early studies have found high levels of loneliness among older FSU immigrants; however, little is known regarding changes in loneliness among this group over time. The present study examines change in loneliness among older FSU immigrants and older veteran Jewish Israelis and its potential predictors. A prospective association between immigrant's status and loneliness over time was examined using the second (2009/2010) and third (2013) waves of SHARE-Israel. The sample consisted of 208 FSU immigrants and 1080 veteran Jewish Israelis. Bivariate analyses indicated that in 2009/2010, older FSU immigrants were significantly lonelier than older veteran Jews, and more disadvantaged on all social and health variables measured. Yet, no significant differences emerged between the two groups with regard to loneliness in 2013. In the adjusted model, older immigrants presented positive change in loneliness (less loneliness over time) compared with veteran Jewish Israelis. Depressive symptoms explained a large part of the variance in change in loneliness. Potential explanations suggest that the long-term psychological adjustment process and the characteristics of the FSU immigrants in Israel as a large and relatively strong immigrant group have served as protective factors with regard to changes in loneliness over time.

One Month into the Reinforcement of Social Distancing due to the COVID-19 Outbreak: Subjective Health, Health Behaviors, and Loneliness among People with Chronic Medical Conditions

“…The 3-item version of the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale [ 43 , 44 ] was used to assess participants’ sense of loneliness, during and before the COVID-19 crisis. The Hebrew-translated version of the scale was used [ 45 ]. Items are as follows: “How often do you feel that you lack companionship?” “How often do you feel left out?” and “How often do you feel isolated from others?” with answers ranging from 1 (hardly ever) to 2 (some of the time) or 3 (often).…”

Resettling amidst a mood of loneliness: later-life Chinese, Indian and Korean immigrants in New Zealand

“…Similarly, loneliness rates for five different groups of older immigrants in Britain were considerably greater than for the general population (Victor et al ., 2012). Older immigrants’ loneliness may be particularly evident during the resettlement phase (Dolberg et al ., 2016), although this may ease after an extended time as a resident (Wu and Penning, 2015). Additionally, older immigrants have reported being significantly more lonely than their peers who were born in the host country (de Jong Gierveld et al ., 2015; Wu and Penning, 2015; Dolberg et al ., 2016; Lin et al ., 2016).…”

Predictors of refugee adjustment Hahn et al.

“…For refugees, entry into the labor market takes longer, and they tend to have lower employment rates and incomes than other immigrants (Fix & Passel, 1994;Salikutluk, Giesecke, & Kroh, 2016). Refugees face a heightened risk for loneliness (Dolberg, Shiovitz-Ezra, & Ayalon, 2016) because they have had to leave behind former relationships, a practice that is associated with poor health and increased mortality (Luo, Hawkley, Waite, & Cacioppo, 2012). Moreover, refugees are at higher risk for a variety of psychiatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, and depression, mostly related to their exposure to violence, forced migration, and uncertainty in the host country (Fazel, Wheeler, & Danesh, 2005;Hollifield et al, 2002;Schock et al, 2016).…”