Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Social isolation has been documented as a significant challenge for older adults,
including those who are immigrants. The conventional wisdom blames social isolation
among older immigrant adults on language barriers, living arrangements, and age at
migration, however, this does not allow for analytical clarity on how social isolation
interacts with other important risk factors to influence emotional well-being among older
African immigrants. This study offers an important contribution to the existing
knowledge by examining how social isolation and other risk factors interact to
impact emotional well-being among older African immigrants. It uses life course theory,
acculturation theory, resilience theory, and cumulative risk theory to identify the relevant
stressors or risk factors such as living arrangements, financial satisfaction, acculturation
predictors, transportation, and grandchild care. A mixed-methods approach integrating
quantitative and qualitative research methods was used in the study. For the collection of
quantitative data, 163 participants aged 60 and over completed an online or mailed
survey. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze the quantitative data. Findings
showed that ethnic social relations and living arrangements had a unique contribution to
the social isolation of the participants. Also, social isolation, ethnic social relations, and
financial satisfaction significantly influenced the emotional well-being of study
participants. For the study’s qualitative data, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews
with 11 participants, age 63-79, by telephone. Five major themes were generated from the
data using a thematic analysis approach, which included (a) minimal social engagement outside of the home, (b) barriers to social engagement, (c) satisfaction with finances, (d)
fewer socialization consequences, and (e) coping strategies. The overall finding showed
that the participants lacked social engagement outside of the home, which negatively
affected their emotional well-being. Implications for social work practice and policy as
well as recommendations were emphasized in the study.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:IUPUI/oai:scholarworks.iupui.edu:1805/29847 |
| Date | 08 1900 |
| Creators | Adeniji, Dolapo Omolola |
| Contributors | Adamek, Margaret, Hong, Michin, Gentle-Genitty, Carolyn, Huber, Lesa |
| Source Sets | Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
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