The process of acculturation in Israel among elderly immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Examines the main difficulties facing elderly immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU) and the effect these problems have on their well-being during their acculturation in Israel. Ss were 334 immigrants from the FSU aged ≥60 yrs who were chosen at random from 13 senior citizen centers in northern Israel. Ss were administered a questionnaire in Russian which examined demographic variables, possible difficulties divided into 3 levels (interpersonal-expressive, mental-cultural, and instrumental), and Ss' reports of their present sense of personal, mental, and social well-being. Results indicated that the independent variables predicted about 20% of the differences as explained in relation to the level of the Ss' subjective health, with expressive difficulties being the most influential independent variable. The authors conclude that different levels of difficulties have a large influence on the degree of absorption of elderly immigrants from the FSU into Israel; these difficulties affect the degree of different senses of well-being felt by these immigrants and their level of health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)