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Neighborhood immigrant concentration, acculturation, and cultural alienation in former soviet immigrant women
Author(s) -
Miller Arlene Michaels,
Birman Dina,
Zenk Shan,
Wang Edward,
Sorokin Olga,
Connor Jorgia
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.20272
Subject(s) - acculturation , alienation , immigration , context (archaeology) , psychological intervention , mental health , sociology , social psychology , psychology , demographic economics , political science , geography , archaeology , psychiatry , law , economics , psychotherapist
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. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.