Adjustment of older Soviet immigrant parents and their adult children residing in shared households: An intergenerational comparison

This study examined the impact of sociodemographic, personal, and familial resources on the adjustment of older Soviet immigrants and their adult children living in multigenerational households. The sample included 200 respondents from 100 families who arrived in Israel between 1989 and 1995. Intergenerational solidarity served as a conceptual framework. The study used both quantitative and qualitative procedures. The results show that, overall, the younger generation is better adjusted than the older. Specifically, the best adjustment was reported by married older immigrants who received formal support and by educated, younger male immigrants who had work satisfaction. Past and current intergenerational solidarity and, to some extent, current family functioning affect adjustment among the older generation above and beyond all other variables, but hardly affect the younger generation.