Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Arab American Elders: Cultural, Social, and Personal Factors

Abstract

Social isolation and loneliness represent a significant concern among elder immigrants in the United States. Data were collected from 101 Arab Americans over the age of 55 living in the metropolitan Detroit area on measures of social isolation, loneliness, acculturation, and support from an adult child. Descriptive analyses revealed that compared to U.S.-born Arab Americans, immigrants report smaller social networks, more frequent feelings of loneliness, less acculturation, and lower overall ratings regarding their relationship with the adult child on whom they rely the most. Regression analyses illustrate that acculturation explains immigrant differences in social isolation; personal status characteristics including poor health and marital status explain immigrant differences in reports of loneliness. Support from an adult child, on the other hand, does not exert an effect on immigrant differences with regard to social isolation or loneliness. Findings highlight the complexity of social isolation and loneliness among Arab American elders and point to future directions to ascertain a more comprehensive understanding of how immigrant status influences well-being in later life.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was supported by National Institute of Aging Grant 1 R03 AG19388–01. An earlier version of this article was presented at the biennial meetings of the Society for the Study of Human Development, Asilomar, California, October 2005.

Notes

Ajrouch, K. J. (1997). Ethnicity, gender and identity among second-generation Arab Americans: Growing up Arabic in America. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.