Psychosocial risk factors and processes impeding adaptive capacities and contributing to psychosocial distress among later-life Egyptian immigrants

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study explores and describes the transactional and cumulative psychosocial stressors that later-life Egyptian immigrants encounter upon coming to the United States, and how they impede their adaptive capacities, hinder their adjustment efforts, and impact their psychosocial well-being. Such stressors are more pronounced among those who immigrated to the United States from Egypt after reaching the retirement age of 60 for two reasons. First, they experience pre-immigration stressors that force or expedite their departure from Egypt under duress, thus incurring numerous financial and symbolic losses. Secondly, in the last developmental stage, when age-related losses are triggered, they are concomitantly exposed to a starkly different lifestyle, language, cultural norms, living and financial arrangements, roles, and relationships. All such circumstances contribute to a sense of confusion, guilt, shame, and being a burden on others, which culminate in withdrawal, isolation, and distress. The findings of this study can be used to inform psychosocial and therapeutic interventions and guide the development of appropriate social work programs, services, and policies for later-life Egyptian immigrants in particular and older Arabic-speaking immigrants in general.     

Poverty Among Korean Immigrant Older Adults: Examining the Effects of Social Exclusion

ABSTRACT

Previous studies have shown that elderly Asian immigrants face greater risks for living in poverty compared with their native contemporaries. Particularly, Korean immigrant older adults are reported to be most likely to experience poverty among many Asian immigrant groups. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which demographic, human capital, and social exclusion factors contribute to such economic vulnerability among Korean immigrant older adults. Adding to previous research, this study broadly conceptualizes social exclusion and tests for its additive effects on poverty using nationally representative public data of Korean immigrant older adults. From the 2008–2010 Public Use Microdata Sample of the American Community Survey, this study extracts a sample that consists of individuals aged 65 years and older whose national origin is Korean, who were not born in the United States, and thereafter immigrated to the United States (N = 3,820). The findings indicate that 3 dimensions of social exclusion—exclusion from social and civic life, exclusion from asset building, and exclusion from the labor market—contribute significantly to Korean immigrant older adults’ odds of living in poverty. The study concludes with practice implications for socially inclusive workforce development as a way to ameliorate economic afflictions among Korean immigrant older adults.     

Why Does Immigrant Trip Duration Vary Across U.S. Destinations?

Objective . This article explores the factors that lead to differences in immigrant trip duration across U.S. destinations. Methods . Using data from the Mexican Migration Project and the 1970, 1980, and 1990 U.S. Censuses, we estimate discrete-time hazard models of the probability of return for unauthorized male migrants. Results . We find three patterns of migration for undocumented migrants across U.S. destinations: semi-permanent and permanent migration to urban areas; temporary migration to agricultural areas; and sojourner, or cyclical, migration to border regions. These patterns depend on the characteristics of the immigrant population that moves to each destination, in addition to the opportunities available to migrants in each destination. However, all these factors are mediated by social and institutional conditions at the destination. Conclusions . The findings of this study reiterate the importance of economic opportunities as an important predictor of not only migration to, but also length of stay in, the United States. Dynamic regions not only attract more immigrants, but they also attract a more permanent population of migrants.     

Bilingual Validation of the Family Responsibility Scale

Abstract

In the context of the HIV pandemic, infected persons in the United States are increasingly poor women of color, many of whom are single parent heads of household with responsibilities for caring for another ill family member. A significant proportion of such persons are recent immigrants, and many do not speak English as a primary language. Responding to the lack of cross-cultural instruments suitable for assessment and research in such populations, the present study describes the bilingual (Spanish and English) validation of the Family Responsibility Scale. Based on a sample of 161 persons receiving HIV-related service in family agencies in two major urban centers, the findings support a unidimensional rapid assessment instrument with substantial equivalence across language groups. Results indicate very good reliability, and evidence of strong content, factorial, and construct validity. Implications for bilingual validation and applications in health and social service settings are discussed.     

Gender differences in income inequality among immigrant populations to the United States

This work examines the level of income inequality of immigrants to the United States. We separately examine income inequality of males and females using several different inequality measures for robustness. The work finds that males have the traditional inverted “U” relationship between inequality and growth but females have the opposite. These differences are caused by several key factors but mainly due to the level of work force participation of the two groups. Finally, we examine the differences in inequality between immigrants who have been in the country for a decade and newly arrived immigrants finding that income inequality is much greater for new immigrants.     

Agricultural policies and migration in a U.S.-Mexico free trade area: A computable general equilibrium analysis

A United States-Mexico agreement to form a free trade area (FTA) is analyzed using an 11-sector, three-country, computable general equilibrium model that explicity models farm programs and labor migration. The model incorporates both rural-urban migration within Mexico and international migration between Mexico and the United States. In the model, sectoral import demands are specified with a flexible functional form, an empirical improvement over earlier specifications, which use a constant elasticity of substitution function. Using the model, we identify trade-offs among bilateral trade growth, labor migration, and agricultural program expenditures under alternative FTA scenarios. Trade liberalization in agriculture greatly increases rural- urban migration within Mexico and migration from Mexico to the United States. Migration is reduced if Mexico grows relative to the United States and also if Mexico retains farm support programs. However, the more support that is provided to the Mexican agricultural sector, the smaller is bilateral trade growth. The results indicate a policy trade-off between rapidly achieving gains from trade liberalization and providing a transition period long enough to assimilate displaced labor in Mexico without undue strain.     

Examining Cost Fulfillment: Child Care Policy and Strategies

ABSTRACT

Most advanced industrialized countries have established social support to aid families in balancing productive and reproductive labor during child-bearing years. Secondary data analysis was used to examine patterns of public support for low-income working families. Key findings highlight four types of policy strategies (Conservative, Limited, Average, and Universal) suggesting differentiated social citizenship opportunities based on place of residence. This research highlights how a complex policy environment contributes to unintended consequences as the working poor are exposed to child care and employment instability. Future research should consider how the policy environment contributes to material well-being in families during the life course.     

No te dejes pisotear por nadien: Examining Latino Immigrants' Efforts to Resist Discrimination

ABSTRACT

Latino immigrants in the United States face a hostile climate, including policies that reinforce community-level prejudices and acts of discrimination. Discrimination has an impact on the well-being of individuals who are targeted. The purpose of this study was to learn from Latino immigrant parents about responses to incidents with discrimination, including the process by which they determine how to respond. Fifty-four Latino immigrants participated in in-depth interviews. Using constructivist grounded theory methods, a model was developed to reflect participants' responses to discrimination. Findings indicate Latino immigrants' responses to discrimination evolve in a consciousness-raising process, including five phases of awareness: recognizes discrimination; questions discrimination; engages in reflection/dialogue on issues of race and discrimination; acknowledges value in self; and takes action. Moving through these phases, participants are more critically reflective on personal experiences and larger environmental contexts. Participants also engage in assessment of risks and opportunities when deciding how to respond to discrimination. Documentation status, English proficiency, and knowledge of systems of care affected their ability/decision to advocate. This study offers guidance for social service providers to support and collaborate with immigrants to increase their capacity to advocate. Findings suggest that future research is needed to explore the connection between phases of response and well-being.     

Building a Bicultural Bridge

ABSTRACT

The balancing act of living between two cultures can have a significant impact on the development of adolescent Latinas living in the United States. Many adolescent Latinas, particularly second generation, live with two sets of cultural values that are often in conflict with one another. This case study illustrates the importance of understanding the impact of acculturation on the individual and the family. Issues of identity, biculturalism, and bilingualism—specifically the phenomenon of language switching—are dismantled in this case study to gain deeper insight into the unique experience that second-generation Latinas undergo when negotiating two cultural orientations. These findings are important to consider when working with the Latino population as they represent one of the largest immigrant groups and the most rapidly growing group in the United States.     

Reactions to social security retirement reform proposals in the United States

For some time the actuarial imbalance between revenues and benefit payments in the Social Security retirement programme in the United States has been a concern for decision makers, professional analysts, and the public. In response to this actuarial imbalance, President George W. Bush proposed in 2004 that changes be made in the method whereby Social Security benefits are determined and that individual investment accounts be established under the rubric of Social Security. The debate over the issue was intense, but it was effectively stilled by the middle of 2005. The probable legacy of the 2004‐05 debate is that limits have been placed upon future options to deal with the Social Security programme's financial difficulties. This article identifies those constraints which, together, constitute the new public policy “template” for future debates relating to the Social Security retirement programme in the United States.     

Failure to Mourn “White Nativism”: Impact of Deportation on Hispanic American–Born Children and Mixed-Status Families

Contemporary American immigration policy since 1996 has sought to control the entrance of “illegal immigrants” while also facilitating their deportation, thereby dividing mixed-status families. American children born to non-native parents are rendered second-class citizens. Such policies claim to preserve the American economic and social order. The author posits that American immigration reform needs to be viewed in the context of legal statutes and social policies that are embedded in a complex, unconscious intrapsychic defense system of “White nativism,” aimed to avert the mourning of the “White native” cultural identity. Deportation and immigration reform is therefore a “White native,” legal, and policy-driven annihilatory tool, designed to extricate the American-born Hispanic child from the United States in order to avert the inevitable transformation of the “White natives” collective external group symbolic representations, or reservoirs, that are linked to individual and collective affective mother–me experiences.     

Living Arrangements,Depression, and Health Status Among Elderly Russian-Speaking Immigrants

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between living arrangements, depression, and health status in a community-based sample of 300 elderly Russian-speaking immigrants. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire survey method. The questionnaire was designed to investigate various aspects of health, mental health, health services utilization, and health behaviors. A team of bilingual professionals was involved in the construction and translation of the survey instrument. The sample consists of 150 females and 150 males. The respondents' average age was 73.2 years. The regression analysis reveals that elderly Russian-speaking immigrants who live alone are more likely to experience a higher level of depression than those living with others. This relationship remains statistically significant after controlling for age, education, income, ability to speak English, years residing in the United States, gender, and health status. Since health status appears to influence depression, we performed further regression analyses and found that living arrangements had no statistically significant relationship with health status. Health status serves as an intermediate variable between the block of demographic variables and depression. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Mexican Immigrant Self‐Employment Along the U.S.‐Mexico Border: An Analysis of 2000 Census Data*

Objective. This study explores the entrepreneurial tendencies of Mexican immigrants in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) on the U.S. side of the Mexican border vis‐à‐vis the U.S. interior. Methods. Using 2000 Census data available in the 5% Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, we empirically analyze the self‐employment rates and earnings of Mexican immigrants residing in U.S. cities near Mexico versus those in nonborder MSAs. Results. Our findings indicate that Mexican immigrants in MSAs along the U.S.‐Mexico border have significantly higher self‐employment rates (but lower earnings) than their counterparts in the rest of the United States and non‐Hispanic whites in border cities. Explanations for these findings include the existence of trade opportunities in U.S. border cities as well as intense labor market competition that crowds a greater share of immigrants into self‐employment. Conclusion. Immigration reform that curtails the immigration flow from Mexico might hinder small business formation and economic development on the U.S. side of the Mexican border.     

Prioritizing Choice: Perceptions of Neighborhood Social Cohesion for Residents in Subsidized Housing

ABSTRACT

Many families living in poverty rely on housing subsidies. Housing subsidies restrict the housing stock and neighborhood choices for families living in poverty. Fortunately neighborhood social cohesion can protect families from many of the deleterious consequences associated with living in a low-income neighborhood. This study uses panel data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Making Connections initiative to test the role of public housing types on perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion. The probability sample used in the study consists of 2,470 households living in low-income neighborhoods in ten cities in the United States. Results show that public housing residents, both housing choice voucher users and non-housing choice voucher users, on average, report lower neighborhood social cohesion than their non-public housing neighbors. Results also show that moving to a new neighborhood consistently predicts improved neighborhood social cohesion while moving to public housing predicts declines in perceived neighborhood social cohesion. Choice in where one lives seems to play an important and positive role in perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion. Based on these data, it is suggested that policy makers and housing providers prioritize choice in the development and delivery of public housing.     

Educational Attainment in New and Established Latino Metropolitan Destinations*

Objective. This study examines the educational attainment of Latinos who immigrated to the United States by age 12. We compare the educational attainment of Latino immigrants in established and emerging Latino immigrant gateway cities in order to identify whether there are any significant differences in educational attainment between immigrants in these two gateways types and why such differences might exist. Methods. We employ OLS regression using the 2000 5% Integrated Public Use Microdata Sample. Results. Our results suggest that contrary to speculation, educational attainment among Latino immigrants is significantly higher in new Latino destinations than in established Latino metropolitan areas, although much of the difference is mediated by demographic factors. Migration history, English proficiency, ethnicity, and citizenship status account for a substantial portion of the differences in educational attainment between destination types. The migration history of these immigrants suggests a selection effect: only those immigrants who are relative newcomers to their new Latino destination have significantly higher educational attainment than those in established metropolitan areas. Conclusions. We find that educational attainment among Latino immigrants is higher in new Latino destinations. Our study suggests that more highly educated Latino immigrants are choosing new Latino destinations, while longer‐term immigrant residents of new destinations are faring no better (in terms of educational levels) than those in established destinations. English proficiency, ethnicity, and citizenship status are confirmed as factors strongly associated with educational attainment among immigrants.     

Individual accounts in social security: can they be progressive?

The trend toward individual asset accounts in social security, and the regressivity of these accounts, provide the motivation for this article. The article asks: why not asset building for the poor as well? Research on Individual Development Accounts in the United States finds that the poor can save when they have a structure and incentive to do so. Steps toward universal and progressive asset‐based policy are pointed out in Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom. Future policy directions and challenges are considered.     

Financial Capability,Asset Ownership,and Later-Age Immigration: Evidence From a Sample of Low-Income Older Asian Immigrants

We examined financial capability and asset ownership among low-income older Asian immigrants with special attention given to later-age immigrants who came to the United States when they were 55 years old or older. Survey data collected from supported employment program participants (N = 150) were used. The analyses demonstrated a low level of financial knowledge and asset ownership in the sample. The findings also indicated that later-age immigrants’ financial-management skills, knowledge of social programs, and asset ownership were significantly lower than those of young-age immigrants. These findings call for active interventions to enhance economic security among low-income older Asian immigrants.     

Buying into the American Dream? Mexican Immigrants,Legal Status,and Homeownership in Los Angeles County*

Objectives. Contemporary patterns of homeownership reflect the continuing racial and ethnic stratification that exists in nearly all areas of American society. Of particular interest, especially within the context of recent immigration legislation, are the homeownership experiences of Mexican immigrants in the United States. Methods. The current study employs unique data from the 2001 Los Angeles County Mexican Immigrant Residency Status Survey (LAC‐MIRSS) to examine the association between diverse forms of legal status and homeownership for Mexican immigrants. Results. Analyses indicate that the relationship between legal status and housing tenure is not statistically significant, after accounting for economic, life‐course/life‐cycle, and assimilation/social capital characteristics. Conclusions. The lack of a significant relationship is contrary to past research, perhaps explained by the explosive growth of the subprime mortgage market in the United States; the increasing recognition by financial institutions of Latino immigrants as a largely untapped, yet emerging, market in the mortgage industry; the availability of alternative forms of identification; and the institutionalization of unauthorized immigration in Los Angeles.     

Grandparent and Kinship Foster Care: Implications of Licensing and Payment Policies

ABSTRACT

In this article, we examine the different licensing and payment policies in the United States for kinship foster care and assess the potential impact of licensing policies on the likelihood that grandparents or other kin will become licensed as formal kinship foster care providers. With this information, discussion is presented that outlines possible barriers to formalized foster kinship care placement and identifies the need for changes in public policy that could lead to increased program access for kinship foster caregivers.