Biomedical subjects

K J Aroian

Publications and source records attributed to K J Aroian.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Health and social service utilization among elderly immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

PURPOSE: To explore factors that affect health and social service use among elderly Russian immigrants from the perspectives of the elders, their adult caregiving children, and the health and social service professionals who serve them. METHODS: A qualitative, case-oriented study design was used and 17 elderly Russian immigrants, 8 adult caregiving children, and 15 health professionals were interviewed in the Boston area in 1998. Perceptions about the patterns of and reasons for Russian elders' health and social service use were summarized through content analysis of the interview data. FINDINGS: Participants across groups perceived extensive service use by elderly Russian immigrants. Life circumstances associated with immigration, cultural norms and beliefs, and structural characteristics of the local Russian immigrant community accounted for service use. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that providing support for depression and loneliness associated with immigration, educating immigrants about the role of primary care providers in the US as well as realistic expectations for American medicine, and managing care to decrease the use of unnecessary services would facilitate appropriate service use among elderly Russian immigrants.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Immigrant women and their health.

Immigrant women's health is a relatively new research area. At the beginning of the 1990s, nurse scholars concluded that there was insufficient research on this topic. They recommended broadening the overly narrow research foci on immigrant women's childbearing and on select populations, developing national data bases, identifying high-risk groups, and developing population-specific interventions. This chapter reviews 292 research articles published in journals during the 1990s about adult immigrant women's health. It: (1) summarizes research findings on topics that were the major foci of research conducted in the 1990s, (2) evaluates progress over the last decade in the research agenda proposed above, and (3) makes recommendations for research in the new millennium.

Emigration and Immigration↗

PubMed1999

Somatization and depression among former Soviet immigrants.

This study investigated the prevalence of pure and overlapping forms of somatization and depression in a sample of former Soviet immigrants and whether pure somatization or pure depression could be differentiated using the study variables. Study respondents completed a demographic questionnaire, the Demands of Immigration Scale, and the Symptom Checklist 90R. Respondents were classified as (a) neither depressed nor somatic, (b) only somatic, (c) only depressed, or (d) both depressed and somatic. Univariate analyses and logistical regression were used to compare these four groups and to predict the likelihood of being only depressed or only somatic. The four groups differed in terms of immigration demands, age, education, employment, and years in the U.S. A logistic regression analysis was able to classify 75% of the participants as only somatic or only depressed on the basis of certain demographic characteristics. Age, being unemployed and not looking for work, and not having a college education increased the risk of being somatic rather than depressed.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Predicting psychological distress among former Soviet immigrants.

This study investigated whether age, gender, marital status, education, employment, length of time in the U.S. and immigration demands (novelty, occupation, language, discrimination, loss, and not feeling at home) were predictors of psychological distress in a sample of 1,647 former Soviet immigrants. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the combined model of demographic and demand of immigration variables was significant. Results indicated that women, older immigrants, those with less than a college education, and those with greater immigration demands related to novelty, language, discrimination, loss, and not feeling at home were most distressed.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Demands of Immigration Scale.

The Demands of Immigration Scale (DI) measures demands associated with immigration, including loss, novelty, occupational adjustment, language accommodation, discrimination, and not feeling at home in the resettlement country. The DI scale was evaluated in a sample of 1,647 immigrants from the former Soviet Union who had resided in the United States from a few months to 20 years. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the proposed factor model. The DI subscales were internally consistent and had good test-retest reliability. Support for concurrent validity was demonstrated by correlations in the expected direction between the DI total and subscale scores and measures of depression and somatization. Support for discriminant validity was demonstrated by mean group differences in some or all of the DI dimensions according to age and years in the United States.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Psychometric evaluation of the Russian Language version of the Resilience Scale.

The Resilience Scale (RS) was developed by Wagnild and Young (1993) to measure a personality characteristic or coping resource that facilitates adaptation. The RS, however, has not been evaluated with foreign-born populations. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to report the factor structure, internal consistency, and concurrent validity of a Russian language version of the RS in a sample of 450 recent former Soviet immigrants. The 25-item 2-factor solution obtained by Wagnild and Young (1993) was not supported by the Russian data. However, a modified 12-item Russian language version of the RS was, for the most part, reliable and valid: The standardized factor loadings and goodness of fit indices obtained from confirmatory factor analysis were acceptable, the internal consistency of one of the two subscales was very good, and the correlations between scores from the RS subscales and various measures of constructs that are theoretically linked with adaptation were in the expected direction and statistically significant.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1996

Pregnancy and delivery practices and beliefs of Ethiopian immigrant women in Israel.

This exploratory, qualitative study compared traditional and biomedical pregnancy and delivery practices from the perspective of Ethiopian immigrant women in Israel. Findings documented that certain beliefs, such as the belief that nonmedical factors (i.e., moral behavior, God, and proper nutrition) were responsible for pregnancy outcomes, were relatively unaffected by immigration. After immigration to Israel, Ethiopian women, however, chose to deliver their babies in the hospital rather than import traditional home delivery practices from their homeland. Despite many negative aspects of labor and delivery in Israel, Ethiopian immigrant women felt that it was worth enduring negative Israeli health care practices in order to have "clean," "safe," and expert deliveries. Findings from this study assist health care professionals to provide more culturally sensitive care to this immigrant group.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Family stress and support among former Soviet immigrants.

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to investigate types of family support and stress among former Soviet immigrants. Forty-two immigrants (14 males and 28 females) were interviewed about their immigration experiences, including description of current relationships with family in the resettlement country. Content analysis of interview data documented that immigrant families can be a valuable source of emotional and/or instrumental support. Immigrant families, however, can also be too overwhelmed by their own immigration demands to provide support or can generate additional stress for its members. Types of family stress included conflict from differing values and opinions, increased responsibility for family members who could not manage resettlement on their own, family members' emotional distress over immigration experiences, unmet expectations for family members' adjustment, and changes in household composition and living arrangements upon arrival in the United States.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Using qualitative data for estimating construct validity of standardized measures.

This paper describes efforts to develop a method of using qualitative interview data for investigating the construct validity of standardized measures. Illustration is provided through a multimethod validation study that examined the concurrence between observer assessments of interview data and a standardized paper and pencil measure-the Demands of Immigration Scale (DI). Specific aims of the multimethod validation study included (1) determining interrater reliability of the Demands of Immigration Observer Rating Scale (DI-ORS), which assessed respondents according to the interview data they provided and (2) establishing concurrence between observer assessments on the DI-ORS and the respondents' self-ratings on the DI scale. Interrater reliability of the DI-ORS was achieved with 97.9% agreement. However, there were significant differences (p < or = .05, 2-tailed) or disagreement on 5 out of 6 possible occurrences for agreement or disagreement between observer ratings on the DI-ORS and respondents' self ratings on the DI scale. The findings are informative for researchers who wish to use qualitative methods for construct validation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1995

Use of the Brief Symptom Inventory to assess psychological distress in three immigrant groups.

This paper examined the internal consistency reliability of two newly developed alternate language versions of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) (This is not the Bradford Somatic Inventory, which is also known as the BSI) when used with Polish and Filipino immigrants and the original versions of the BSI and its parent instrument, the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) when used with Irish immigrants; and, the theoretical and criterion related validity of the Psychoticism subscale of the BSI for Polish, Filipino, and Irish immigrants. Internal consistency estimates and triangulation of individual BSI global and subscale scores with verbal self-reports and clinical assessments demonstrated that the BSI is a relatively reliable and valid cross-cultural measure of psychological distress. However, problems with the Psychoticism subscale occurred across all three immigrant groups, which suggested that this subscale should be interpreted with caution when used with immigrants.

Acculturation↗

PubMed1989

Multiple-method, cross-cultural assessment of psychological distress.

The purpose of this study was to test the validity of cross-cultural use of a standardized instrument to measure psychological distress by triangulation of data obtained through a multiple-method approach. The sample consisted of 25 adult Polish immigrants who had at least a basic command of the English language. The three methodological approaches included a paper-and-pencil self-report instrument (Brief Symptom Inventory [BSI], verbal self-reports elicited during an in-depth interview, and micro-level and macro-level observations. The translated BSI was relatively valid except for the psychoticism, paranoid and interpersonal sensitivity subscales. Invalidity could be explained through information gathered by other methods. The importance of instrument translation for cross-cultural use and the need to incorporate multiple-method assessment into both clinical practice with ethnic populations and cross-cultural research are discussed.

Cross-Cultural Comparison↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A model of psychological adaptation to migration and resettlement.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the implications of migration for emotional status over time. Analysis of interview data provided by 25 Polish immigrants, who resided in the United States ranging from 4 months to 39 years, allowed the construction of a model describing migrants' psychological adaptation. Loss and disruption, novelty, occupational adjustment, language accommodation, and subordination were described as predominant aspects of migration and resettlement. Psychological adaptation required the dual task of resolving grief over losses and disruption involved with leaving Poland and of mastering resettlement conditions associated with novelty, occupation, language, and subordination. The model provides assessment parameters and direction for intervening with migrants who are distressed. The model may also be generalized to other types of life change as well.

Adaptation, Psychological↗