Latino Immigrants

Abstract

The Latino population continues to increase dramatically with some of the increase due to continuous immigration, both documented and undocumented. This article examines some of the demographic within group diversity that exists. The immigration experience is highlighted for the particular stresses that occur. The unique issues related to living in the United States without legal papers are noted. For those immigrants who are refugees, the impact of civil war and violence on their ability to adapt to this new culture is underscored. The consequences of immigration are noted in how children are affected. An Ecological Perspective illustrates how their adaptations can be classified into such specific areas as identity, relatedness, competence and autonomy. Some of the resources to support viable adaptation are delineated.     

When Opportunity Structure Knocks: Social Movements in the Soviet Union and Russian Federation

The notion of an opportunity structure has become both popular and confusing for social movement research. This paper attempts to clarify how opportunity structures are understood through a discussion of separatism in two cases: the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. Instead of being treated as a collective whole, opportunity structures are broken into three factors: A) constitutional rules and rights; B) elite control; and C) the state's capacity and propensity for repression. Factor A represents formal restrictions on potentially insurgent groups while factors B and C are informal restrictions. In the Soviet and Russian settings, four distinct opportunity structures are identified. The first, established under Stalin, was narrow, constraining potentially insurgent groups. But the second, which emerged under Gorbachev, was relatively wide and contributed to the willingness of various republics to declare independence. The third, established at the founding of the Russian Federation, was medium in width, but did not permit the types of activity found in the second. And lastly, the fourth can be dated to Putin's reforms of the early twenty-first century, and is narrow in character. Although future research is necessary for confirmation, this disaggregated model is intended to be generally applicable in other contexts.     

A Preliminary Exploration of Immigrant Substance Abusers from the Former Soviet Union Living in Israel,Germany and the United States: A Multi-National Perspective

SUMMARY

The Former Soviet Union (FSU) has historically been seen as having an unusually large population of individuals with alcohol problems. Since the fall of the communist regime, a growing drug abusing population has become visible. With the large migration of its residents to western countries and to Israel, the rates of alcohol and drug problems among these immigrants appear to be disproportionally high, although reliable data are lacking. The purpose of this article is to summarize exploratory data regarding alcohol and other drug use among immigrants from the Former Soviet Union living in Israel, Germany and the United States, and to identify further research needs and implications for treatment and policy.     

Immigrants and refugees: two sides of the same problem. A linguistic analysis through newspapers and social network in Spain 2006 and 2015

ABSTRACT

The phenomenon of immigration has been studied from diverse perspectives. It is important to note that immigration is common during times of crisis. The reason for the avalanche of immigrants to the Canary Islands (Spain) is because it is the gateway to Europe, and therefore, immigrants wanted to enter from this point. This research is based on the need to linguistically determine the treatment of the phenomenon of immigration in the Spanish press. This analysis is relevant given the arrival of thousands of foreign citizens to the coast of the Canary Islands, first in 2006 and almost a decade later, in 2015 to the south of Europe in another great population movement. This research attempts to study four Spanish newspapers, two from the Canary Islands (El Día and Canarias 7) and two Spanish mainland national newspapers (El País and ABC), the online version of the newspapers and their websites were analyzed beside one of the most important social networks, Twitter. The role of incorporating social networks to immigration discourse is also analyzed. To support the data analysis of this research, the Iramuteq software was used.     

Between two worlds: late Soviet Jews in Leningrad

ABSTRACT

In this article, Ann Komaromi reads late Soviet Jewish culture in Leningrad in terms of the “two worlds” Jewish activists negotiated: official and unofficial, Soviet/Russian and Jewish, present and past, etc. While the public rhetoric of the struggle for Soviet Jewry suggested dramatic binaries of death and salvation that resonate with the eschatological extremes of the “Petersburg text,” Komaromi argues for a more prosaic approach to the imaginative and cultural project of reconstructing Jewish identity by people in this context. The article features the recollections of former Jewish activists taken from interviews and memoirs to reveal the range of endeavors in which they engaged, including Hebrew learning and teaching, seminars, demonstrations, Jewish soccer teams, local history walking tours, unofficial book collections, and ethnographic expeditions.     

Supplemental Security Income Among Older Immigrants From Central and South America: The Impact of Welfare Reform

This article explores the impact of federal welfare policy changes on older immigrants born in Central and South America. Using data from the 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census 5% Public-Use Microdata Samples, the study examines (1) the change in Supplemental Security Income (SSI) uptake rate after welfare reform for noncitizens from Latin America, naturalized Latin Americans, and U.S.-born Hispanics and (2) how much of the change can be attributed to a change in behavior rather than to a change in eligibility rates. Findings show that the decline in SSI receipt after welfare reform was greater for Latin American noncitizens compared to naturalized citizens and Hispanic U.S.-born citizens. Decomposition analyses show that among eligible elderly noncitizens, the decline in recipiency rate was due mostly to a change in behavior rather than a change in eligibility. This pattern is not found for U.S.-born and naturalized citizens, where changes were mostly due to a decline in the proportion of persons eligible for SSI. This suggests that as a result of legislative changes, older immigrants may not be applying for benefits for which they may be legally entitled. Policy implications are discussed.     

Social Work Practice with Polygamous Families

Data are based on student files of 25 Bedouin-Arab children born to senior mothers of polygamous families, and interviews with the children's teachers and mothers. Mothers complained of somatic symptoms, economic problems, poor relations with the husband, and competition and jealousy between the co-wives and among the co-wives' children. Children had a variety of behavioural problems, and below average academic achievement. Social work practice should recognize the cultural and personal significance of polygamy to family members; appreciate the significance of polygamy to children's functioning; select children as a target system for intervention; and reinforce the Islamic value base for interventions.     

Russian Social Science in Transition: Applied Political Research and Social Criticism

One means by which the Soviet state maintained hegemony was through control over the production and movement of information. This function created ambiguity, on the one hand, and contradiction on the other, as sociological inquiry progressed within the Soviet system. This circumstance extended to both the appropriate subject matter and the methodology of sociological research. While sociology practiced in the West operated more or less within broad boundaries of free inquiry, such was not the case for most of twentieth century Russia. This paper explores this history of permissible sociological research in Russia, and then turns an eye on the more recent developments in sociology in light of the new Russian state. In particular, the development of democratic processes in Russia have led to a concomitant growth in research centers, institutes, and consultancies, all of which have significant practical and applied objectives for the sociological product. A listing of Russian research centers on the web is included.     

Correlates of Depression Among the Soviet Jewish Immigrant Elderly

ABSTRACT

This exploratory study examined the prevalence rates of depressive symptoms among the elderly Soviet Jewish immigrants living in Southern California. Structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 50 self-identified Jewish elderly immigrants from the former Soviet Union, assessing their level of depression, health status, primary need areas, and family support. According to the results, 72% of the respondents reported mild to severe levels of depression. Age and satisfaction with the family assistance turned out to be significantly correlated with the level of depression among this group. Implications for human services practice with vulnerable older immigrant populations are discussed.     

Graduate Social Work Students' Interest in Working with Older Adults

This study examined Master's in Social Work students' (N = 304) interest in working with older adults following the use of case studies to infuse aging content into the foundation social work curriculum. Faculty members were provided with extensive materials to support their use of the cases with aging content in class. Compared to an earlier study, students were significantly more interested in working with older adults after they were exposed to the cases. Factors that predicted students' interest include age and attitude towards aging, specifically seeing older adults as having vitality. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Social Support Networks and Loneliness Among Elderly Jews in Russia and Ukraine

The collapse of the Soviet Union had devastating consequences for the lives of its population, especially for older adults, many of whom became impoverished and were left with no social support. Using data from a survey of 2,579 elderly Jews in two of the largest countries of the former Soviet Union, Russia and Ukraine, we examine variables that affect their feeling of loneliness. Unmarried and childless elderly persons reported the highest feelings of loneliness. Married elderly persons who maintained frequent contact with their children felt least lonely. Moreover, married and unmarried elderly persons who did not maintain frequent contact with relatives or friends were lonelier than those who maintained such contact. The characteristics of social networks were significantly correlated with loneliness. The findings also showed that Jews in Ukraine had fewer social networks and felt lonelier compared to Jews in Russia.     

Older Professional Women's Views on Work: A Qualitative Analysis

This qualitative study reports on the career experiences of older professional women using consensual qualitative research. Thirteen women over age 50 were interviewed regarding the influences of gender and age on work. In general, all participants reported career adaptability, and many participants also reported specific subthemes of career adaptability (i.e., concern, control, curiosity, and confidence) as resources. These subthemes denote participants' future orientation, self‐discipline as evidenced by their conscientiousness in career decisions, active information seeking, and certitude that they have the ability to solve career‐related problems. Relationships with colleagues were also considered critical, and participants acknowledged the benefits and drawbacks of being a woman and being older. These women were able to achieve flexibility and autonomy in their work and spoke about the importance of work–family balance and boundaries. Practitioners are encouraged to consider how career adaptability is manifested within the interplay between gender and age, because this can influence career counseling with older women.     

Older Lesbians and Work in the Australian Health and Aged Care Sector

While research has identified challenges lesbians face in the workplace, there is limited understanding of the particular experiences of older lesbians, especially those working in the health and aged care sector. This article draws on the stories of four women who participated in a narrative research project on lesbian and gay people's experiences of health and aged care. It highlights the need for future research to examine the complexity of identity expression and community affiliation, how people negotiate “coming out” in the workplace, the impact of discrimination, and the resources (such as friends) available to lesbians in the workplace.     

Training for Cross-Cultural Social Work with Immigrants,Refugees, and Minorities:

This paper describes the development, format, and procedures of a course designed to prepare social work students to work with immigrants, refugees, and minorities. Historical, sociopolitical, economic, and psychosocial factors are considered. The model emphasizes experiential learning in classroom and community settings, which enables students to integrate theory and skills related to practice. Emphasis is placed on the development of self-awareness as a major aspect of training.     

Enhancing Social Work Practice with Ethnic Minority Youth

Social workers have the task of addressing issues that are unique to ethnic minority youth in clinical practice; however, they may be ill equipped to begin practice with these youth due to a lack of specificity within generalist curricula. Using African-American youth as an example, the paper provides evidence that there are critical areas of development and functioning that diverge from the generalist perspective. Social workers are provided with strategies to fill gaps in their knowledge of ethnic-minority youth to enhance their direct practice with this population.     

Late‐Life Migration,Work Status,and Survival: The Case of Older Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union in Israel

This analysis examined mortality among late‐life Soviet Jewish immigrants in Israel, and the contribution of post‐migration work status to their survival. The study linked 1997 survey data to mortality records, seven years hence. The results revealed that mortality was associated with older age, male gender, morbidity, and having less resourceful social networks. More importantly, after controlling for these background variables work status remained a significant correlate. Late‐life immigrants who had never worked in the host country had a significantly greater risk of death than their immigrant counterparts who had ever worked (or were still working).