Relationship of Perceived Culture Shock, Length of Stay in the U.S., Depression, and Self-Esteem in Elderly Russian-Speaking Immigrants

Abstract

This article presents preliminary data on perceived culture shock (PCS), length of stay (LS), and depression in a sample of29 Russian speaking elderly (age ranged 54 to 81, mean = 65.8). The average LS in the United States was 4 years, 8 months. Measurement ofpcs was based on the number of irrational beliefs endorsed on the Perceived Culture Shock Inventory (PCSI) developed by the authors; level of depression was measured by Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961); self-esteem was measured by Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventories—Second Edition (CFSEI-2; Battle, 1981). It was hypothesized that the LS would be negatively related to the level ofdepression, contingent upon the level of PCS. Path analysis was used to analyze the data. Results indicated that 38% of variance in level of depression was explained by combined effects of PCS (Be a = 0.597, P = 0.001) and LS (Beta = -0.063, p = 0.698). LS accounted for 2.6% ofvariance in self-esteem.

Keywords::

• Culture shock
• Russian
• Depression
• Elderly
• Immigrants