Acculturation and functional disability among older Vietnamese-Americans

Journal article citation:
Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 23(1), 2014, pp.20-35.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
Place of publication:
Philadelphia, USA

This study examined the association between acculturation and functional disability among Vietnamese-Americans ages 65 and older. Data came from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series: Version 3.0 of the U.S. Census data. This sample consisted of 2,610 older Vietnamese-Americans representing 5.2% of Vietnamese-Americans from the 2000 U.S. Census data. The authors examined three alternative structural equation models depicting the association between acculturation and functional disability while controlling for possible influences of selected covariates: age, sex, education, income, and length of residence in the United States. Findings indicated that the model depicting the effect of acculturation on functional disability had a better fit than the model depicting the effect of functional disability on acculturation. The non-recursive model, which tested the reciprocal association between acculturation and functional disability, provided strong evidence for the effect of acculturation on functional disability. Findings of the study suggest that researchers should examine the complexity of acculturation and functional disability in the context of immigrants’/refugees’ age and pre-migration experiences. Where immigrants and refugees come from plays a key role in their acculturation and health status. Immigrant and refugee services should focus not only on general acculturation skills, but also on health acculturation skills. (Publisher abstract)

Subject terms:
black and minority ethnic people, cultural identity, older people;
Content type:
research
Location(s):
United States
Link:
Journal home page
ISSN online:
1531-3212
ISSN print:
1531-3204

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