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In this study we compared rates and correlates of psychological distress among immigrant women and men from the former Soviet Union. A demographic, migration, and social network questionnaire and the Symptom Checklist-90-R were administered to 935 female and 706 male immigrants. Older age and less time in the United States predicted distress in both gender groups. However, having less education, leaving relatives behind, and not being sponsored by friends or a religious organization predicted greater distress for women. Women reported significantly more distress than men except for those men who were married and retired. KEY WORDS: immigrants; gender; psychological distress.

This article reports the relationships between resilience, demographic characteristics, immigration demands, and depression in a sample of 450 adult Russian immigrants to Israel. Contrary to theories of how resilience is related to psychological outcomes, no support was found for resilience modifying or mediating the relationship between the demands of immigration and depression. Resilience did, however, increase the risk of not being depressed by about two-fold (p < .0001).

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the effects of interviewer age on the reporting of personal behaviors including sexual experience, abortion, five births, and condom use. Data were [...]

This article presents data in support of the reliability and validity of a four-item measure of acculturation for Hispanics. The study has three strengths. First, this brief measure is evaluated with a probability sample of Hispanic adolescents and young adults (ages 15-24 years) living in urban, low-income households. Second the sample contains both second- and third-generation Puerto Rican and Mexican American adolescents and young adults. Third, the acculturation measure was administered as part of a face-to-face interview. The four-item acculturation scale correlated highly with generation, length of time in the United States, subjective evaluation of acculturation, country of birth, and language chosen for the interview. The psychometric properties of this brief scale are comparable to those obtained for other published scales. Results support the use of this four-item measure of acculturation as a simple, inexpensive measure that involves minimal respondent burden.

This study used multiple group structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate gender and ethnic differences in a theoretical model of condom use with a well known partner. The sample consisted of urban, low income, African American and Hispanic males and females. The theoretical model incorporated concepts from the Health Belief Model (HBM), Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), and Construct Accessibility Model (CAM). A new theoretical concept, condom predisposition, emerged from SEM as a predictor of condom use in all four gender-ethnic groups. This concept combines elements of the TRA (attitude, partner norm) and CAM (accessibility of condom related constructs). Statistically reliable differences were found in the theoretical models for each group. For example, talking about AIDS was positively related to a predisposition to use condoms for African American males and both Hispanic males and females. In contrast, for African American females, it was their concern about AIDS that was positively related to this predisposition. These results underscore the importance of investigating gender differences within ethnic groups, and benefits of integrating different theoretical perspectives.

As Hispanic persons in the U.S. are exposed to U.S. culture, changes may occur in values, attitudes, and behavior. This process of change has been called acculturation. The objectives of this research were to describe the sexual behavior of low income, urban Hispanic youth in Detroit and to evaluate the relationship of acculturation to sexual behavior. Data were drawn from a household probability sample of 711 low income, urban youth. The relationship of acculturation to sexual activity, types of intercourse, number and ethnicity of partners, condom use, and use of other methods were estimated for never married men and women. Level of acculturation was associated with sexual behavior. Specifically, women with high acculturation were much more likely to have had at least one sexual partner in the last year, to have non-Hispanic partners, to have oral and anal sex, and to have used condoms. For men, high acculturation was positively associated with oral sex and having non-Hispanic partners. Use of contraceptive methods other than condoms was not related to acculturation for either gender. For women, the strong association of acculturation with sexual activity in the last year increased women's exposure to health risks, sexually transmitted diseases, and unplanned pregnancy, although increased condom use may have reduced these risks.

Beliefs about condoms and accessibility of condom intentions among Hispanic and African American youths were studied. Results showed that the most common positive belief about condoms was that they provided protection, while the most popular negative belief was that condoms break. Accessibility of condom intentions were markedly higher in African American than in Hispanic youths. Condom utilization behavior was associated with gender and ethnic patterns of condom intention accessibility based on the Construct Accessibility Model.

A sample of former Soviet immigrants were studied to determine whether age, gender, marital status, education, employment, length of time in the US and immigration demands were predictors of psychological distress. It was shown that women, older immigrants, those with less than a college education and those with greater immigration demands related with language, loss, discrimination were the most distressed.