Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Living Independently as an Ethnic Minority Elder: A Relational Perspective on the Issues of Aging and Ethnic Minorities

  • Original Article
  • Published:
American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

This study examines the residential experiences of Korean ethnic elders in affordable housing in the greater Chicago area, focusing on how patterns of social relationships that evolved around a geographical location and its urban infrastructure enabled the elders to achieve their desire for residential independence. Based on the theoretical concept of activity settings and social capital, the study suggests an integrated theoretical model where social capital is understood as an embedded asset of an activity setting. Methodologically, this study uses a combined method of qualitative interviews with 138 Korean elders in affordable housing in the greater Chicago area and a geographic analysis of their social relationships in order to present associations among social relationships, urban infrastructures, and the shared value of independence within their residential communities. The study findings indicate that the elders mobilized ethnic businesses, urban infrastructures, and the collective efficacy of groups to achieve the shared goal of maintaining residential independence. In each community, a cultural broker acted as an important bridge between the community of ethnic minorities and the larger social networks coexisting within the community boundary. The relational perspective as a potent ground for understanding and further solving the issues of aging and ethnicity is highlighted.

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

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Though not part of the inter-personal network questions, an item from the acculturation scale indicated that more than 90 % of the interviewees did not have any friends who are not ethnic Koreans.

  2. The interviewees were asked to provide a street address if possible. When the interviewees did not know the street address, they were asked to provide the nearest intersections. If they failed, then only the city name was recorded. Most of the interviewees were quick to provide the names of businesses (with which the interviewer identified the addresses through an internet search) or the nearest street intersection of the business establishments, but had a hard time retrieving the physical location of their children, other than providing city names. The majority of their children were located in suburban locations.

  3. Never = 0, less than once a month = 1, once a month = 3, 2–3 times a month = 4, once a week = 5, 2–3 times a week = 6, daily = 7. The visit frequency score by individual interviewees from each of three locations were aggregated according to places of visit. Therefore, the aggregated visitation score is associated with places of visit and shows how frequently each group visits these places.

  4. Jenk’s natural break identifies break points by “picking the class breaks that best group similar values and maximize the differences between classes.” The values are divided into categories so that boundaries are set where there are relatively big jumps in the values (ArcGIS Resource Center 2012).

  5. CTA, Chicago Transit Authority and RTA, Regional Transportation Authority.

  6. Tested with Analysis of Variance (F = 8.133 α < .01) with an accompanying post hoc test of Tukey HSD (α < .01).

References

  • AARP. (2001). In the middle: A report on multicultural boomers coping with family and aging issues. Retrieved May 12, 2013, from http://www.aarp.org/relationships/family/info-2001/aresearch-import-789-D17446_1.html.

  • Abbott, P., & Sapsford, R. (2005). Living on the margins. Policy Studies, 26(1), 29–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altman, I., & Low, S. (1992). Place attachment. New York: Plenum.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • ArcGIS Resource Center (2012). Classifying numerical fields for graduated symbology. Retrieved November 13, 2013, from http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/index.html#//00s50000001r000000.

  • Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education. New York: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Canter, D. (1977). The psychology of place. London: The Architectural Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Canter, D. (1997). The facets of place. In G. T. Moore & R. W. Marans (Eds.), Advances in environment, behavior, and design (pp. 109–147). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, S.-T., & Heller, K. (2009). Global aging: Challenges for community psychology. American Journal of Community Psychology, 44(1–2), 161–173. doi:10.1007/s10464-009-9244-x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Christens, B. (2012). Toward relational empowerment. American Journal of Community Psychology, 50(1–2), 114–128. doi:10.1007/s10464-011-9483-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coffé, H., & Geys, B. (2007). Toward an empirical characterization of bridging and bonding social capital. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 36(1), 121–139. doi:10.1177/0899764006293181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, J. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94(Supplement: Organizations and Institutions: Sociological and Economic Approaches to the Analysis of Social Structure), S95–S120.

  • Domínguez, S., & Maya-Jariego, I. (2008). Acculturation of host individuals: Immigrants and personal networks. American Journal of Community Psychology, 42(3/4), 309–327.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Estes, C. L., & Linkins, K. W. (1997). Devolution and aging policy: Racing to the bottom in long-term care. International Journal of Health Services, 27(3), 427–442.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Felton, B., & Berry, C. (1992). Groups as social network members: Overlooked sources of social support. American Journal of Community Psychology, 20(2), 253–261. doi:10.1007/BF00940839.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fiore, J., Becker, J., & Coppel, D. (1983). Social network interactions: A buffer or a stress. American Journal of Community Psychology, 11(4), 423–439. doi:10.1007/BF00894057.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. New Brunswick: Aldine Transaction.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, B. G. (1992). Basics of grounded theory analysis. Mill Valley, CA: Sociology Press.

  • Goetz, E. G. (2008). Words matter: The importance of issue framing and the case of affordable housing. Journal of the American Planning Association, 74(2), 222–229. doi:10.1080/01944360802010251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heller, K., Thompson, M. G., Trueba, P. E., Hogg, J. R., & Vlachos-Weber, I. (1991). Peer support telephone dyads for elderly women: Was this the wrong intervention? American Journal of Community Psychology, 19(1), 53–74.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Henning, C., Åhnby, U., & Österström, S. (2009). Senior housing in Sweden: A new concept for aging in place. Social Work in Public Health, 24(3), 235–254.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holstein, M. B., & Minkler, M. (2003). Self, society, and the “New Gerontology”. The Gerontologist, 43(6), 787–796. doi:10.1093/geront/43.6.787.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ishii-Kuntz, M. (1997). Intergenerational relationships among Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Americans. Family Relations, 46(1), 23–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Israel, B. A., Hogue, C. C., & Gorton, A. (1984). Social networks among elderly women: Implications for health education practice. Health Education Quarterly, 10(3/4), 173–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jang, Y., & Chiriboga, D. A. (2009). Living in a different world: Acculturative stress among Korean American elders. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 65B(1), 14–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jennings, J. (2007). Social capital, race, and the future of innercity neighborhoods. In J. Jennings (Ed.), Race, Neighborhoods, and the misuse of social capital (pp. 87–108). New York: Palgrave Macmillian.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jezewski, M. A. (1990). Culture brokering in migrant farmworker health care. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 12(4), 497–513. doi:10.1177/019394599001200406.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jezewski, M. A. (1995). Evolution of a grounded theory: Conflict resolution through culture brokering. Advances in Nursing Science, 17(3). Retrieved from http://journals.lww.com/advancesinnursingscience/Fulltext/1995/03000/Evolution_of_a_grounded_theory__Conflict.4.aspx.

  • Kim, K. C., Hurh, W. M., & Kim, S. (1993). Generation differences in Korean immigrants’ life conditions in the United States. Sociological Perspectives, 36(3), 257–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, J., & Lauderdale, D. S. (2002). The role of community context in immigrant elderly living arrangements: Korean American elderly. Research on Aging, 26(6), 630–653.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koh, J. Y., & Bell, W. G. (1987). Korean elders in the United States: Intergenerational relations and living arrangements. The Gerontologist, 27(1), 66–71. doi:10.1093/geront/27.1.66.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lai, D. W. L. (2010). Filial piety, caregiving appraisal, and caregiving burden. Research on Aging, 32(2), 200–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lan, P.-C. (2002). Subcontracting filial piety: Elder care in ethnic Chinese immigrant families in California. Journal of Family Issues, 23(7), 812–835. doi:10.1177/019251302236596.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, A. R., & Schigelone, A. R. S. (2002). Reciprocity beyond dyadic relationships: Aging-related communal coping. Research on Aging, 24(6), 684–704. doi:10.1177/016402702237187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawton, M. P., & Nahemow, L. (1973). Ecology and the aging process. In C. Eisdorfer & M. P. Lawton (Eds.), The psychology of adult development and aging (pp. 619–674). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Luke, D. (2005). Getting the big picture in community science: Methods that capture context. American Journal of Community Psychology, 35(3–4), 185–200. doi:10.1007/s10464-005-3397-z.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Manzo, L. C., & Perkins, D. D. (2006). Finding common ground: The importance of place attachment to community participation and planning. Journal of Planning Literature, 20(4), 335–350. doi:10.1177/0885412205286160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maton, K. I. (1989). Community settings as buffers of life stress? Highly supportive churches, mutual help groups, and senior centers. American Journal of Community Psychology, 17(2), 203–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mutchler, J. E., & Burr, J. A. (2003). Living arrangements among older persons: A multilevel analysis of housing market effects. Research on Aging, 25(6), 531–558.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Donnell, C. R., & Tharp, R. G. (2012). Integrating cultural community psychology: Activity settings and the shared meanings of intersubjectivity. American Journal of Community Psychology, 49, 22–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pyke, K. (1999). The micro politics of care in relationships between aging parents and adult children: Individualism, collectivism, and power. Journal of Marriage & Family, 61(3), 661–672.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pynoos, J., & Golant, S. M. (1996). Housing and living arrangements of the elderly. In R. H. Binstock & L. George (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (4th ed., pp. 303–325). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sampson, R. J., Raudenbush, S. W., & Earls, F. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277(5328), 918–924.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seale, C. (2004). Generating grounded theory. In C. Seale (Ed.), Researching society and culture (2nd ed., pp. 239–248). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shin, J. (2014a). Making home in the age of globalization: A comparative analysis of elderly homes in the U.S. and Korea. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 37(1), 80–93. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.12.001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shin, J. (2014b). Spatial quality and comfort of place. Manuscript in Preparation.

  • Shin, J. (2014c). The residential choices of ethnic elders in affordable housing: Changing inter-generational relationships and the pursuit of residential independence. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 28. doi:10.1080/02763893.2014.899541.

  • Silverman, R. M. (2001). CDCs and charitable organizations in the urban south: Mobilizing social capital based on race and religion for Neighborhood revitalization. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 30(2), 240–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simons, R. (1983). Specificity and substitution in the social networks of the elderly. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 18(2), 121–139. doi:10.2190/AUY4-CMPK-JFCB-E04V.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snowden, L. (1987). The peculiar successes of community psychology: Service delivery to ethnic minorities and the poor. American Journal of Community Psychology, 15(5), 575–586. doi:10.1007/BF00929910.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stephenson, M. (2000). Development and validation of the Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale (SMAS). Psychological Assessment, 12(1), 77–88.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Treas, J., & Mazumdar, S. (2002). Older people in America’s immigrant families: Dilemmas of dependence, integration, and isolation. Journal of Aging Studies, 16(3), 243–258. doi:10.1016/S0890-4065(02)00048-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trickett, E. J., & Jones, C. J. (2007). Adolescent culture brokering and family functioning: A study of families from Vietnam. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 13(2), 143–150. doi:10.1037/1099-9809.13.2.143.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tuan, Y.-F. (1977). Space and place: The perspective of experience. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). American Housing Survey (AHS)–AHS Main–People and Households–U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 13, 2013, from http://www.census.gov/housing/ahs/.

  • Wahl, H.-W., Fänge, A., Oswald, F., Gitlin, L. N., & Iwarsson, S. (2009). The home environment and disability-related outcomes in aging individuals: What is the empirical evidence? The Gerontologist, 49(3), 355–367.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wong, S. T., Yoo, G. J., & Stewart, A. L. (2006). The changing meaning of family support among older Chinese and Korean immigrants. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 61B(1), S4–S9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoo, L. W. S. H., & Sung, K.-T. (1997). Elderly Koreans’ tendency to live independently from their adult children: Adaptation to cultural differences in America. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 12(3), 225.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zunzunegui, M., Koné, A., Johri, M., Béland, F., Wolfson, C., & Bergman, H. (2004). Social networks and self-rated health in two French-speaking Canadian community dwelling populations over 65. Social Science and Medicine, 58(10), 2069–2081. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2003.08.005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

I am indebted to Paul S. Yun, executive director, and Irene Jisun Sohn, deputy executive director, of the Hanul Family Alliance, Inchul Choi, executive director of the Korean American Community Service, and Kyung jin Bae, coordinator of Moo Goong Terrace apartments. Their support during the recruiting process was invaluable. My deepest gratitude goes out to the study participants who wholeheartedly shared their life stories, Myung-hee Jorn who assisted during the fieldwork, and Amy Duwell Brockdorf who single handedly navigated through the GIS analysis. Special guest editors, Dr. Neal and Dr. Christens, and three anonymous reviewers provided constructive feedback and encouragement throughout my journey. This study was generously funded by the Graduate School and the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Design Studies Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Jung-hye Shin

Authors
  1. Jung-hye Shin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jung-hye Shin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shin, Jh. Living Independently as an Ethnic Minority Elder: A Relational Perspective on the Issues of Aging and Ethnic Minorities. Am J Community Psychol 53, 433–446 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-014-9650-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-014-9650-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation