Neighborhood immigrant concentration, acculturation, and cultural alienation in former soviet immigrant women

Abstract

Several acculturation theories note the importance of surrounding context, but few studies describe neighborhood influences on immigrant adaptation. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among neighborhood immigrant concentration, acculturation, and alienation for 151 women aged 44-80 from the former Soviet Union who lived in the US fewer than 13 years. Participants resided in 65 census tracts in the Chicago area with varying concentrations of Russian-speaking and diverse immigrants. Results from self-report questionnaires suggest that the effect of acculturation on alienation varies depending on neighborhood characteristics. The study also demonstrates the complexity of individual and contextual influences on immigrant adoption. Understanding these relationships is important for developing community-based and neighborhood-level interventions to enhance the mental health of immigrants.

Community life as a motive for migration from the urban center to the rural periphery in Israel

“…Unsuccessful acculturation may harm migrants' wellbeing and cause unsuccessful migration due to the impact of poor adjustment, cultural alienation and marginalization, negative feelings of estrangement and rejection, dissociation and detachment from prevailing social norms and values, and by the absence of a sense of belonging (Miller et al, 2009). According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (2009) about 92% of the population (Jews and Arabs as well) live in urban localities and only 8% live in rural localities (with less than 2,000 residents).…”

Factors Shaping Workplace Segregation Between Natives and Immigrants

“…This neighborhood is an important social arena that provides a collective milieu influencing social interactions and individual life careers (Blasius et al 2007;Galster 2012;Miller et al 2009;Musterd et al 2012;Wang 2010). Contact with natives in neighborhoods of residence plays an important role in the learning processes that enable newly arrived immigrants to overcome the challenges of living in a new country.…”

Socioeconomic factors and mental health of Swedish adolescents – a cross-sectional study among Stockholm high-school students aged 15–19 years

“…This population may have experiences from certain situations such as war, loss of family and relatives, and/or a challenging immigration process that could impact on their health and well-being. Adapting to new cultural values, a new language and social norms are among the main difficulties facing new arrivers (Miller et al, 2009). The results also indicated that self-reported mental health was significantly (positive) related to higher feeling of alienation.…”

“…Alienation means separation, a lack of sense of belonging, feeling of isolation, and meaninglessness of daily life activities (Seeman, 1991). This sense has been shown to be greater among people with an immigrant background who are experiencing a new cultural setting (Cabrera & Nora, 1994;Lindqvist, 2009;Miller et al, 2009;Yu, Huang, Schwalberg, Overpeck, & Kogan, 2003). Entering to a new society, establishing a new social network, and sociocultural norms and values, that is, going through the acculturation process, might be stressful and can impact on health by creating stressful situations and resulting feelings of alienation (Berry, Phinney, Sam, & Vedder, 2006;Johnson & Tomren, 1999;Miller et al, 2009;Oppedal & Roysamb, 2004;Pumariega, Rothe, & Pumariega, 2005;Schulz, 2011;Smith, Kelly, & Nazroo, 2009).…”