Adaptation of Immigrants: Individual Differences and Determinants.

Abstract

This book reports results of a longitudinal study of 307 immigrants to Australia first interviewed in 1979 and re-interviewed in 1982 set in a context of other major studies of immigrants conducted in the UK the US Canada and Australia. It focuses on conclusions that have emerged from 3 decades of research concerning determinants of individual differences in adaptation including demographic characteristics cultural skills personality variables and family relations. Among the questions addressed are: What is the normal course of immigrants reactions to their new country? Are there systematic differences in reaction associated with sex age social class religious commitment previous experience with similar and different cultures? Are subjective reactions (satisfaction with various aspects of their lives) paralleled by objective measures of role performance (adequacy of adaptation in the eyes of other people)? Do members of families migrating together share similar levels of adaptive success? How do members of families migrating together share similar levels of adaptive success? How do inter-member relations affect the adaptation of family members? What are the effects on adaptation of emotional well-being optimism and need for affiliation? Original contributions of the longitudinal study include the assessment of immigrant families both before and after migration the use of measures obtained from other sources other than the focal respondent the examination of relations among 2 dozen different outcomes as distinct measures of adaptation each assessed with multiple-item scales and the simultaneous inclusion of several dozen predictors in multiple-regression analyses applied to each outcome. (authors)