Markers of Successful Aging Among Vietnamese Refugee Women

This article describes several markers of successful aging for Vietnamese women. These studies suggest that feelings of control have important implications for life satisfaction and mental health of female Vietnamese refugees. Adequate satisfaction with social relationships is a key contributor to successful aging and mental health of elderly Vietnamese refugees who are female. The article concludes by discussing ways in which mental health and health care professionals can assist female elderly refugees cope with family crisis, adaptation, and acculturation issues because they are at the highest risk now and into the future. Key issues were: cultural values surrounding age and gender norms, differential rates of acculturation across generations in the family, cross-cultural differences in mental health and their therapeutic implications.     

Acculturation and Psychological Adjustment of Vietnamese Refugees: An Ecological Acculturation Framework

Acculturation to the culture of the host society as well as to one’s heritage culture have been shown to impact immigrants’ adjustment during the years following resettlement. While acculturation has been identified as an important factor in adjustment of Vietnamese immigrants (Birman and Tran in Am J Orthopsychiatr 78(1):109–120. doi:10.1037/0002‐9432.78.1.109, 2008 ), no clear pattern of findings has emerged and too few studies have employed an ecological approach. The purpose of this paper is to contextualize the study of acculturation and adjustment by taking an ecological approach to exploring these relationships across several life domains, using a bilinear scale, and examining mediators of these relationships for adult Vietnamese refugees (N = 203) in the United States. We call this approach the Ecological Acculturation Framework (EAF). Results of a structural equation model (SEM) showed that job satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between American acculturation and psychological distress, demonstrating that this relationship was specific to an occupational domain. However, while Vietnamese acculturation predicted co‐ethnic social support satisfaction, it did not predict reduced psychological distress. Implications for a life domains approach, including domain specificity, are discussed.     

Acculturation Attitudes and Acculturative Stress of Central American Refugees

Research on acculturation has revealed a variable relationship between acculturation and mental health, which is due to the presence of a number of moderating factors. Some of these factors, namely, modes of acculturation, acculturative experience with the host society, contact with the culture of origin, and individualistic values have been examined in order to understand better the relationship of these factors with acculturative stress. In the present research. Central American refugees (N = 101) who were resettled in Canada completed a questionnaire dealing with their attitudes, behaviours, values, and levels of acculturative stress. Results indicated that different factors are involved in the prediction of psychological and somatic aspects of acculturative stress, with contact with the culture of origin and modes of acculturation being the best predictors.     

Cross-cultural equivalence and validity of the Vietnamese MMPI-2: assessing psychological adjustment of Vietnamese refugees

The cross-cultural equivalence and validity of the Vietnamese translation of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory--2 (MMPI-2) were examined in a sample of 1st-generation Vietnamese refugees in the United States (N = 143). Respondents completed the Vietnamese MMPI-2, the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, a measure of acculturation, and a demographic questionnaire. An inspection of MMPI-2 mean profiles and items showing extreme endorsement rates suggested that certain symptom tendencies and cultural values may be reflected in responses to some MMPI-2 items. Older age, lower acculturation, greater experienced premigration-postmigration traumas, and military veteran status were all associated with elevated MMPI-2 profiles, suggesting that the MMPI-2 functions in a reasonably equivalent and valid way in this population.     

Acculturation of Vietnamese Students Living in or Away From Vietnamese Communities

A t‐test comparison of the acculturation levels of Vietnamese students (members of Vietnamese student associations) living in or away from Vietnamese communities found higher overall acculturation for the former than for the latter group and no difference in the Value dimension of acculturation. Age and length of residency in the United States predicted acculturation.     

Acculturation, personality, and psychological adjustment

Two studies investigated relationships between traditional indicators of acculturation, cultural distance, acculturation strategies, and basic dimensions of personality as they pertain to psychological adjustment among Hispanic students. Although personality characteristics have been shown to be important determinants of psychological well-being, acculturation research has put less emphasis on the role of personality in the well-being of immigrants. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that basic dimensions of personality such as extraversion and neuroticism were strongly related to psychological adjustment. Acculturation strategies did not mediate the effect of personality variables, but cultural resistance made a small, independent contribution to the explanation of some aspects of negative psychological adjustment. The implications of the results were discussed.     

Human capital,acculturation and social identity: Bosnian refugees in Australia

This article explores the processes of acculturation and identity among refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina who resettled in the Australian cities of Perth and Sydney during the 1990s. We start from the idea that refugees, through the process of forced migration, lose aspects of their identities that were embedded in their former communities, jobs, skills, language, and culture. Upon arrival in a new society, they seek to reconstruct their identity, and we argue that this happens in the context of the process of acculturation. We use two social psychological perspectives, social identity theory and acculturation theory, and the sociological theory of the migration of human capital, to examine our data collected by qualitative research methods from refugees and Australian professionals who work in the government‐funded refugee resettlement programme. Our data highlight the loss of identity experienced in forced migration, difficulties in refugee acculturation and identity reconstruction, and collective and individual strategies in acculturation and identity adaptation. We see our perspective as essentially interdisciplinary, and take an interactional view of the acculturation and identity processes, as the characteristics of both the host society and the immigrants affect them. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relationship Between Acculturation and Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians in the Vietnamese American Community

We examined the impact of acculturation on attitudes toward gay men and lesbians in the Vietnamese American community. We recruited 114 Vietnamese American participants at a large community organization. The Suinn–Lew Asian Self‐Identity Acculturation Scale ( Suinn, 1992 ) was used to measure participants' acculturation levels, while the Attitudes Toward Lesbian and Gay Men Scale ( Herek, 2004 ) was used to measure participants' attitudes toward homosexuality. It was hypothesized that Vietnamese Americans with higher levels of acculturation would have more positive attitudes toward homosexuality. The results supported this hypothesis. Additionally, we found a complicated pattern of results explaining attitudes based on acculturation level, age, and gender.     

Revisiting the California Southeast Asian Mental Health Needs Assessment Data: An Examination of Refugee Ethnic and Gender Differences

This study examined the ethnic and gender differences in the levels and predictors of distress among Vietnamese (N = 867), Cambodian (N = 590) and Laotian (N = 723) refugees. The findings showed that for all 3 groups, refugee women reported a significantly higher level of psychological distress than their male counterparts. Although there were similarities in the predictors of distress among refugee women and men, the results also found significant gender differences within and between the different cultural groups. Implications for counseling practice and research are discussed in light of the findings.     

Personality, acculturation, and psychosocial adjustment of Chinese international students in Germany

The effect of personality traits and acculturation variables on crosscultural adjustment were investigated in 139 Chinese students in Germany (52% girls; M age = 25.3 yr., SD = 2.9). Participants were surveyed by house visits to their dormitories. Several scales were administered: (a) Big Five Inventory; (b) Vancouver Index of Acculturation; (c) sociocultural adjustment, general and academic; and (d) psychological adjustment, i.e., depression, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Results showed that Neuroticism and Openness were two shared predictors of sociocultural adjustment. Agreeableness and mainstream acculturation were only related to general adjustment, while Conscientiousness was only related to academic adjustment. All facets of psychological adjustment were related to Neuroticism and Consciousness, while positive components (self-esteem and life satisfaction) were also related to Extraversion and Openness. No influence of heritage acculturation was found. The findings are discussed in light of measurement issues and the shared and unique individual predictors of the different facets of adjustment.     

Correlates of Vocational Success in Refugee Work Adaptation1

Past research on Indochinese refugees has shown that status inconsistency (loss of socioeconomic status from their last job in Indochina to their most recent job in the United States) has a strong negative effect on acculturation. This study examines refugee adaptation to working in America and the effect of status inconsistency on work performance. After three years in the U.S., there was great improvement in job performance. We had predicted that greater status inconsistency would be associated with poorer vocational performance. The status inconsistency effect was found for those refugees who previously held high-prestige positions in their homeland, but only during the time before they had spent 3 years in America. Previous high-prestige refugees who had lived in the U.S. for less than three years did not stay on their jobs as long as former low-prestige refugees. After three years, however, the former high-prestige refugees outlasted the former low-prestige refugees.     

Bicultural identity integration (BII): components and psychosocial antecedents

The present study examines the underresearched topic of bicultural identity; specifically, we: (1) unpack the construct of Bicultural Identity Integration (BII), or the degree to which a bicultural individual perceives his/her two cultural identities as "compatible" versus "oppositional," and (2) identify the personality (Big Five) and acculturation (acculturation stress, acculturation attitudes, bicultural competence) predictors of BII. Differences in BII, acculturation stress, and bicultural competence were measured with new instruments developed for the purposes of the study. Using a sample of Chinese American biculturals, we found that variations in BII do not define a uniform phenomenon, as commonly implied in the literature, but instead encompass two separate independent constructs: perceptions of distance (vs. overlap) and perceptions of conflict (vs. harmony) between one's two cultural identities or orientations. Results also indicated that cultural conflict and cultural distance have distinct personality, acculturation, and sociodemographic antecedents.     

Asian Values,Ethnic Identity,and Acculturation Among Ethnic Asian Wives in South Korea

In Korea as of 2009, the immigrant population comprised less than 2.5 % of the total population, whereas almost one in ten marriages taking place during the same year was international, of which more than 75 % were ethnic Asian women married to Korean men. On that ground, this study addresses the importance of Asian values and ethnic identity in ethnic Asian wives’ acculturation to Korean society. The subjects of this study have been selected from three ethnic Asian groups—Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese women. Acculturation in this study has been measured in three aspects: Korean cultural attitudes and identity, linguistic assimilation, and the level of satisfaction with Korean culture. First, our findings have revealed that their recognition of Asian values plays an important role in improving their acculturation to Korean society, especially in the realms of cultural attitudes and identity, and satisfaction with Korean culture. Then, there has been no evidence that their sense of ethnic identity is a critical factor of their acculturation to Korean society.     

The Case of a City Where 1 in 6 Residents is a Refugee: Ecological Factors and Host Community Adaptation in Successful Resettlement

The notable success of an upstate New York community in resettling refugees raises the question of whether multiple waves of resettlement over a 15-year period have resulted in greater accommodation to refugees. Structured interviews based on transactional models of acculturation were used along with archival data to explore ecological factors supporting a host community's behavioral flexibility and perseverance in response to the influx of refugees. Evidence suggests that socioeconomic climate, historical background/social norms, and the organizational structure of agencies involved in resettlement moderate successful inclusion of refugees into a host community in a bidirectional process.     

Sex differences in English language acculturation and learning strategies among Vietnamese adults aged 40 and over in the United States

This study examines sex differences in English language acculturation and learning strategies among older Vietnamese in the United States in a nationwide probability sample. Data of this study came from the Southeast Asian Refugee Self-Sufficient Study (1982). The results reveal that older Vietnamese women had more problems with their English language than older Vietnamese men. In addition, the Vietnamese men were more likely to use various learning strategies to improve their English skills than the women.     

Factors Affecting Employment and Job Satisfaction of Vietnamese Refugees

Vietnamese refugees reporting job satisfaction have been in the United States longer and are more proficient in speaking English than dissatisfied refugees, but they are not more positive about job-seeking resources.     

PERSONALITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CORRELATES OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN OJIBWA INDIAN YOUTH*

High School Personality Questionnaire profiles, grades, and boarding home information were obtained for almost the entire Grade 9 and 10 native Indian student population in the districts of Kenora, Rainy River, and Thunder Bay (Ontario, Canada) in order to discover the factors that relate to the high incidence of academic failure among native students. Native Indian youth as a group differed from white population in personality traits, but the lack of a strong correlation between these personality traits and school grades suggests that the personality traits characteristic of an Indian population are not the primary cause of school failure. Students who came from remote reserves were better adjusted than those who lived within driving distance of white settlements and had greater opportunities for acculturation. There was no correlation between school grades and boarding home conditions. Female students showed less variability in personality structure than males, and seemed less affected by changes in culture and boarding home conditions. A comparison of native students in academic and occupational programs revealed some personality differences among males but none among females.     

Vietnamese Adolescents in Australia: Relationships between Perceptions of Self and Parental Values,Intergenerational Conflict,and Gender Dissatisfaction

The present study examined traditional family and independence values among young Vietnamese respondents (N = 204), their perceptions of parents' values, and the impact of differential parent-adolescent acculturation on intergenerational conflict and gender satisfaction. The study confirmed that adolescents perceived that they had less traditional values than their parents. Traditional family values diminished with time spent in Australia while the value accorded to independence increased. This pattern was stronger for girls than for boys. Girls valued Vietnamese traditions less than did their male peers, regarded their parents as being less accepting of independence, and were more dissatisfied with their gender role than boys. For girls but not for boys, discrepancy between adolescent and parental values was associated with more conflict and greater gender dissatisfaction. This study suggests that girls have more difficulty than boys in dealing simultaneously with the expectations of two cultures.     

Counseling Vietnamese

The continuing influx of Vietnamese refugees means that increasing numbers of counselors unfamiliar with Vietnamese culture will be called on to build helping relationships with refugee children and their families. This article provides specific information to help the counselor establish rapport, avoid misunderstandings in explicit and implicit communication, minimize transference dangers, and deal with Vietnamese attitudes toward sex roles and the individual/family relationship. It also discusses relevant socioeconomic and ethnic differences among the Vietnamese themselves, as well as some war-related mental health problems. Practical matters, such as the proper use of Vietnamese names, are explained.     

Ethnicity, Acculturation, and Religiosity as Predictors of Female College Students' Role Expectations

The present study was designed to examine ethnicity, acculturation, and religiosity as predictors of European American and Korean American evangelical female college students' role expectations. Fifty-seven European American and 37 Korean American single women, who ranged in age from 17 to 24 years, completed a demographic questionnaire, a role expectation measure, three religiosity measures, and an acculturation measure. The results indicated a significant negative correlation between fundamentalism and role-sharing expectations for European American women and a significant positive correlation between level of acculturation and role-sharing expectations for Korean American women. The results suggest that fundamentalism is a stronger predictor of role expectations than religious commitment in European American women and that acculturation is a more accurate predictor of role expectations than generation in the United States among Korean American women.