Social Integration and Acculturation Among Immigrants from the FSU: An Ecological Life Domains Approach

Older Russian speaking immigrants are both underrepresented in the extant literature and a particularly vulnerable group in the United States. Past research has shown that older adults experience severe depressive symptoms at higher than population average rates (Federal Interagency Forum, 2006a) and that in older immigrant populations, stress and conflict in multiple life domains are magnified compared both to younger immigrants and American-born elderly (Kim-Goh, 2006; Gozdziak, 1989). Stressors related to loss of economic status, weakened support systems, and acculturative barriers have been shown to be particular risk factors among older Russian immigrants (Kim-Goh, 2005; Brodsky, 1988; Kohn, Flaherty, & Levav, 1989; Zilber & Lerner, 1996a). Social integration is a key protective factor for older Russian immigrants and thus is an important focus of the study. Here, social integration is understood to occur in both Russian and American contexts, whereas past research presumed it to be a uni-dimensional construct with a value placed on integration to host culture (e.g. Diwan, 2008; Martinovic, van Tubergen, & Maas, 2009). Underlying the social and interactive experiences of older Russian immigrants in the U.S. are their acculturative experiences; thus acculturation was also examined as a key predictor. Furthermore, an ecological life domains perspective was used to guide the research and suggested five relevant life domains to explore as potential mediators in this study. Structural Equation Modeling in Mplus showed that the ways that acculturation and social integration impact global outcomes are best understood through mediational pathways. Furthermore, promoting host culture acculturation and social integration, is not always the best practice. While both American and Russian acculturative practices predicted greater life satisfaction, only American acculturation reduced psychological distress. In addition, American social integration predicted a host of negative outcomes such as less family satisfaction, less satisfaction with Russian and American healthcare, and less overall life satisfaction. Russian social integration, on the other hand, predicted greater family satisfaction, greater sense of community in both the Russian and American communities, greater satisfaction with Russian healthcare, and higher overall life satisfaction.