Health and depression in women from the former Soviet Union living in the United States and Israel

Abstract

Post-immigration adjustment is affected by demographic and health characteristics, as well as national resources. Since 1989, more than a million people emigrated from the former Soviet Union (FSU) to the United States and Israel. These countries differ substantially in health systems and immigrant benefits. The purpose of this study is to compare depressed mood between midlife women from the FSU who reside in the United States and Israel, controlling for demographic and health characteristics. The analysis includes 72 women, 36 from each country, who comprise subsets of larger studies and were matched on age and years since immigration. Women were aged 42-70, and immigrated fewer than 8 years prior to recruitment. Using multiple regression analyses it was found that living in the United States, having lower self-reported health status, and having arthritis predicted higher depression scores. Future cross-national interdisciplinary research should be directed toward identifying specific contextual factors that will guide interventions and influence health policy for new immigrants.