Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Tale of Two Cities: Replication of a Study on the Acculturation and Adaptation of Immigrant Adolescents From the Former Soviet Union in a Different Community Context

  • Published:
American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

While a great deal of research has been conducted to understand acculturation and its relationship to adaptation in the new country, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the ways in which the characteristics of the local community impact these processes. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by exploring the potential role of community differences in the acculturation and adaptation processes of 269 refugee and immigrant adolescents from the former Soviet Union who resettled in two different community contexts. Specifically, a prior study on acculturation and adjustment among high school students (D. Birman, E. J. Trickett, & A. Vinokurov, 2002) was replicated with the same émigré population in a contrasting community within the same state. The contrast between these communities allowed us to test hypotheses emerging from an ecological perspective concerning (1) patterns of acculturation, (2) levels of discrimination and its effect on acculturative outcomes, and (3) community differences in the relationship between acculturation and outcomes. In addition to the focus on community differences, the study also employs a multidimensional measure of acculturation and assesses acculturation to both American and Russian culture. Furthermore, adaptation is assessed across different life domains; including peer relationships, family relationships, school adaptation, and psychological adaptation. Findings support the general ecological perspective, suggesting the importance of studying acculturation and adaptation as a reflexive process in which culture and context are very much intertwined.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American FactFinder, U.S. Census Bureau. (2000). Retrieved November 11, 2003, from http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on

  • Aroian, K. J., Spitzer, A., & Bell, M. (1996). Family stress and support among former Soviet immigrants. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 18(6), 655–674.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Aronowitz, M. (1992). Adjustment of immigrant children as a function of parental attitudes to change. International Migration Review, 26(1), 89–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bankston, C. L., & Zhou, M. (1997). The social adjustment of Vietnamese American adolescents: Evidence for a segmented-assimilation approach. Social Science Quarterly, 78(2), 508–523.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belozersky, I. (1990). New beginnings, old problems: Psychocultural frame of reference and family dynamics during the adjustment period. Journal of Communal Service, 67, 124–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. W., Trimble, J. E., & Olmedo, E. L. (1986). Assessment of acculturation. In Walter J. Lonner & John W. Berry (Eds.), Field methods in cross-cultural research and methodology series (Vol. 8, pp. 291–324). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Birman, D. (1994). Acculturation and human diversity in a multicultural society. In E. Trickett, R. Watts, & D. Birman (Eds.), Human diversity: Perspectives on people in context (pp. 261–284). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Birman, D. (1997). The adjustment of Russian students at Pikesville High School, Pikesville, MD. Rockville, MD: Refugee Mental Health Program, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

  • Birman, D. (1998). Biculturalism and perceived competence of Latino immigrant adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 26(3), 335–354.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Birman, D., & Trickett, E. J. (2001). Cultural transitions in first-generation immigrants: Acculturation of Soviet Jewish refugee adolescents and parents. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 32(4), 456–477.

    Google Scholar 

  • Birman, D., Trickett, E. J., & Vinokurov, A. (2002). Acculturation and adaptation of Soviet Jewish refugee adolescents: Predictors of adjustment across life domains. American Journal of Community Psychology, 30(5), 585–607.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Birman, D., & Tyler, F. B. (1994). Acculturation and alienation of Soviet Jewish refugees in the United States. Genetic, Social, & General Psychology Monographs, 120(1), 101–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyd, W. L., & Shouse, R. C. (1997). The problems and promise of urban schools. In H. J. Walberg, O. Reyes, & R. P. Weissberg (Eds.), Children and youth: Interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 141–165). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1970). Two worlds of childhood: U.S. and U.S.S.R.: (1970). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American Psychologist, 32(7), 513–531.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, R. M. (2001). Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences & Engineering. Vol. 61(8-B), Mar 2001, 4472. US: Univ Microfilms International

  • Chiswick, B. (1998). Hebrew language usage: Determinants and effects on earnings among immigrants in Israel. Journal of Population Economics, 11, 253–271.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chiswick, B., & Miller, P. (1992). Language in the labor market: The immigrant experience in Canada and the United States. In B. Chiswick (Ed.), Immigration, language and ethnic issues: Canada and the United States. Washington, DC: American Enterprise Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiswick, B., & Miller, P. (1996). Ethnic networks and language proficiency among immigrants. Journal of Population Economics, 9, 19–35.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chiswick, B., & Miller, P. (1999). Immigration, language and multiculturalism in Australia. Australian Economic Review, 32(4), 369–386.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiswick, B., & Miller, P. (2001). A model of destination-language acquisition: Application to male immigrants in Canada. Demography, 38(3), 391–409.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Clement, R., Noels, K. A., & Deneault, B. (2001). Interethnic contact, identity, and psychological adjustment: The mediating and moderating roles of communication. Journal of Social Issues, 57(3), 559–577.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cortes, D. E., Rogler, L. H., & Malgady, R. G. (1994). Biculturality among Puerto Rican adults in the United States. American Journal of Community Psychology, 22(5), 707-721.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cross, W. E., Jr. (1995). Oppositional identity and African American youth: Issues and prospects. In W. D. Hawley, & A. W. Jackson (Eds.), Toward a common destiny: Improving race and ethnic relations in America (pp. 185–204). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delgado-Gaitan, C. (1994). Russian refugee families: Accommodating aspirations through education. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 25(2), 137–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Escobar, J. I., & Vega, W. A. (2000). Mental health and immigration’s AAAs: Where are we and where do we go from here? Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 188(11), 736-740.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, S., Mont-Reynaud, R., & Rosenthal, D. A. (1992). When East moves West: The acculturation of values of Chinese adolescents in the U.S. and Australia. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 2(2), 147–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, S., & Rosenthal, D. A. (1990). The acculturation of autonomy expectations in Chinese high schoolers residing in two Western nations. International Journal of Psychology, 25(3), 259–281.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galperin, M. D. (1989). Soviet Jewish emigre adolescents’ adjustment to the U.S.: Comparisons with American norms and interrelationships of parent- and self-reported adolescent psychopathology and social adjustment with family environment factors, parental attitudes and demographics. New York U, US, 1.

  • Gibson, M. A. (1987). The school performance of immigrant minorities: A comparative view. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 18(4), 262–275.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gold, S. (1992). Refugee communities: A comparative field study. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodenow, C. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates. Psychology in the Schools, 30(1), 79–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, M. (1964). Assimilation in American life: The role of race, religion, and national origins. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, D. E., Walkey, F. H., McCormick, I. A., & Taylor, J. W. (1988). Development and evaluation of a 21 item version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist with New Zealand and United States Respondents. Australian Journal of Psychology, 40, 61–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • W. H. Holtzman, & T. H. Bornemann (Eds.) (1990). Mental Health of Immigrants and Refugees. Proceedings of a Conference Sponsored by Hogg Foundation for Mental Health and World Federation for Mental Health. Austin, TX: Hogg Foundation for Mental Health.

  • Horowitz, R. T., & Kraus, V. (1984). Patterns of cultural transition: Soviet and American children in a new environment. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 15(4), 399–416.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lese, K. P., & Robbins, S. B. (1994). Relationship between goal attributes and the academic achievement of Southeast Asian adolescent refugees. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 41(1), 45–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liebkind, K. (1996). Acculturation and stress: Vietnamese refugees in Finland. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 27(2), 161–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, J., Alba, R., & Zhang, W. (2002). Immigrant enclaves and ethnic communities in New York and Los Angeles. American Sociological review, 67(2), 299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manaster, G. J., Chan, J. C., & Safady, R. (1992). Mexican-American migrant students’ academic success: Sociological and psychological acculturation. Adolescence, 27(105), 123–136.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Markowitz, F. (1993). A community in spite of itself. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Markowitz, F. (1994). Family dynamics and the teenage immigrant: Creating the self through the parents’ image. Adolescence, 29(113), 151–161.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Markus, R. L., & Schwartz, D. V. (1984). Soviet Jewish émigrés in Toronto: Ethnic self-identity and issues of integration. Canadian Ethnic Studies, 16(2), 71–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mirsky, J. (1997). Psychological distress among immigrant adolescents: Culture-specific factors in the case of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. International Journal of Psychology, 32(4), 221–230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mirsky, J., Baron-Draiman, Y., & Kedem, P. (2002). Social support and psychological distress among young immigrants from the former Soviet Union in Israel. International Social Work, 45(1), 83–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mirsky, J., & Kaushinsky, F. (1989). Migration and growth: Separation-Individuation processes in immigrant students in Israel. Adolescence, 24(95), 725–740.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moyerman, D. R., & Forman, B. D. (1992). Acculturation and adjustment: A meta-analytic study. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 14(2), 163–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray, H. (1938). Explorations in Personality. London: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nguyen, H. H., Messe, L. A., & Stollak, G. E. (1999). Toward a more complex understanding of acculturation and adjustment: Cultural involvements and psychosocial functioning in Vietnamese youth. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 30(1), 5–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oetting, G. R., & Beauvais, F. (1990). Orthogonal cultural identification theory: The cultural identification of minority adolescents. International Journal of the Addictions, 25(5A–6A), 655–685.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Padilla, A. (1980). The role of cultural awareness and ethnic loyalty in acculturation. In A. Padilla (Ed.), Acculturation: Theory, models, and some new findings (pp. 47–84). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phinney, J. S. (1990). Ethnic identity in adolescents and adults: Review of research. Psychological Bulletin, 108(3), 499-514.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Phinney, J. S., Chavira, V., & Williamson, L. (1992). Acculturation attitudes and self-esteem among high school and college students. Youth & Society, 23(3), 299–312.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phinney, J. S., & Devich-Navarro, M. (1997). Variations in bicultural identification among African American and Mexican American adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 7(1), 3–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Portes, A., & Rumbaut, R. G. (1990). Immigrant America. A portrait. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Portes, A., & Schauffler, R. (1994). Language and the second generation: Bilingualism yesterday and today. International Migration Review, 28(4), 640–661.

    Google Scholar 

  • Portes, A., & Zhou, M. (1994). Should immigrants assimilate? Public Interest, 116, 18–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rick, K., & Forward, J. (1992). Acculturation and perceived intergenerational differences among Hmong youth. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 23(1), 85–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogler, L. H., Cortes, D. E., & Malgady, R. G. (1991). Acculturation and mental health status among Hispanics: Convergence and new directions for research. American Psychologist, 46(6), 585–597.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rumbaut, R. G. (1994). The crucible within: Ethnic identity, self-esteem, and segmented assimilation among children of immigrants. International Migration Review, 28(4), 748–794.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russel, D. (1996). UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3): Reliability, validity, and factor structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66, 20–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schnittker, J. (2002). Acculturation in context: The self-esteem of Chinese immigrants. Social Psychology Quarterly, 65(1), 56–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seidman, E., Aber, J., Allen, L., & French, S. E. (1996). The impact of the transition to high school on the self-esteem and perceived social context of poor urban youth. American Journal of Community Psychology, 24(4), 489–515.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R., & Simon, J. (1982a). The Jewish dimension among recent Soviet immigrants to the United States. Jewish Social Studies, 44(3–4), 283–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, R., & Simon, J. (1982b). Some aspects of the socio-cultural adjustment of recent Soviet immigrants to the United States. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 5(4), 535–541.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slonim-Nevo, V., Sharaga, Y., & Mirsky, J. (1999). A culturally sensitive approach to therapy with immigrant families: The case of Jewish emigrants from the former Soviet Union. Family Process, 38(4), 445–461.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Slonim-Nevo, V., & Sheraga, Y. (1997). Social and psychological adjustment of Soviet-born and Israeli-born adolescents: The effect of the family. Israel Journal of Psychiatry & Related Sciences, 34(2), 128–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steele, C. M. (1997). A threat in the air: How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance. American Psychologist, 52(6), 613–629.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (2000). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans. In C. Stangor (Ed.), Stereotypes and prejudice: Essential readings Key readings in social psychology (pp. 69–389). Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steele, C. M., Spencer, S. J., & Aronson, J. (2002). Contending with group image: The psychology of stereotype and social identity threat. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 34, pp. 379–440). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swindle, R. W., & Moos, R. H. (1992). Life domains in stressors, coping, and adjustment. In W. Walsh, K. Craik, & R. Price (Eds.), Person-environment psychology: Models and perspectives (Vol. xi, pp. 1–33). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Szapocznik, J., Scopetta, M. A., Kurtines, W., & Aranalde, M. D. (1978). Theory and measurement of acculturation. Revista Interamericana de Psicologia, 12(2), 113–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trickett, E. J., & Birman, D. (2005). Acculturation, school context, and school outcomes: A differentiated example from refugee adolescents from the former Soviet Union. Psychology in the Schools, 42(1), 27–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vinokurov, A., Birman, D., & Trickett, E. J. (2000). Psychological and acculturation correlates of work status among Soviet Jewish refugees in the United States. International Migration Review, 34(2), 538–559.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vinokurov, A., Trickett, E. J., & Birman, D. (2002). Acculturative hassles and immigrant adolescents: A life-domain assessment for Soviet Jewish refugees. Journal of Social Psychology, 142(4), 425–445.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wall, J. A., Power, T. G., & Arbona, C. (1993). Susceptibility to antisocial peer pressure and its relation to acculturation in Mexican-American adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 8(4), 403–418.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong-Rieger, D., & Quintana, D. (1987). Comparative acculturation of Southeast Asian and Hispanic immigrants and sojourners. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 18(3), 345–362.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yearbook of Immigration Statistics. (2002). Retrieved November 10, 2003, from http://uscis.gov

  • Zea, M. C., Asner-Self, K. K., Birman, D., & Buki, L. P. (2003). The abbreviated multidimensional acculturation scale: Empirical validation with two Latino/Latina samples. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 9(2), 107–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zivkovic, I. (1994). Adaptation patterns of parents and their children in the US and Canada. In P. Noack, & M. Hofer (Eds.), Psychological responses to social change: Human development in changing environments. Prevention and intervention in childhood and adolescence (Vol. 18, pp. 87–103). Oxford, England: Walter De Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Chicago

    Dina Birman & Edison Trickett

  2. Westat, Rockville, MD

    Rebecca M. Buchanan

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, M/C 288, 1007 W. Harrison St., Chicago, Illinois, 60607

    Dina Birman

Authors
  1. Dina Birman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Edison Trickett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rebecca M. Buchanan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dina Birman.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Birman, D., Trickett, E. & Buchanan, R.M. A Tale of Two Cities: Replication of a Study on the Acculturation and Adaptation of Immigrant Adolescents From the Former Soviet Union in a Different Community Context. Am J Community Psychol 35, 83–101 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-005-1891-y

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-005-1891-y

Key words

Search

Navigation