Russian-speaking Immigrants Research Articles

Late-Life Benzodiazepine Use Among Russian-Speaking Immigrants in Israel

In this prospective study, we examine the reasons for benzodiazepine use among Russian-speaking elderly people in Israel, and we discuss issues related to immigrants. We provide information that can be applied to the improvement of age-related health and social services. During a 6-month period, we interviewed late-life Russian-speaking immigrants in Israeli independent living facilities to determine benzodiazepine use among such individuals. Among individuals interviewed, 69% reported use; 45% of those who used the substance did so daily. Respondents aged 80 and older were more likely than those aged younger than 80 to use benzodiazepines. More men (78%) than women (67%) reported use, but we found no significant difference in a comparison of gender status and pattern of drug use. Although other studies of drug use show that patterns of use differ significantly among older men and women, this research indicates that gender status does not appear to influence the pattern of, and reasons for, benzodiazepine use. Additional studies are needed in order for researchers to further understand the nature and extent of benzodiazepine use. Such information should be applied to the development of policies and services that will address the quality-of-life needs of individuals who use or misuse this drug and others like it.

Russian–American health care: Bridging the communication gap between physicians and patients

Objectives The objectives of this article are two-fold: (1) to gather in one place reliable information about Russian–Americans’ past medical practices and their current outlook on health care and to provide health care professionals with an overview of the major afflictions suffered by this ethnic group; and (2) to educate Russian-speaking patients about the American heath care system and social services geared towards immigrants by locating and evaluating free, culturally appropriate patient education Web sites available in Russian. Methods In order to draw data on specific diseases and conditions affecting the Russian-speaking population, the author searched various scholarly health-related electronic databases. A number of well-established U.S. government consumer-health Web sites were searched to locate patient education resources that can be utilized by recent Russian immigrants. Results The author provides an overview of the major health problems encountered by the Russian-speaking population before emigration and potential health concerns for Russian immigrant communities. In addition, the author provides a scholarly exploration of patient education materials available in Russian. Conclusion In this increasingly diverse society, physicians are faced with the challenge of providing culturally sensitive health care. Multicultural Web-based health resources can serve as a valuable tool for reducing communication barriers between patients and health care providers, thus improving the delivery of quality health care services. Recommendations for further research are indicated. Practice implications The author offers recommendations for practitioners serving Russian-speaking immigrants. Suggestions on utilization of Web resources are also provided.

Spelling bilingualism: Script choice in Russian American classified ads and signage

This article investigates the role of script choice in bilingual writing, drawing on classified advertisements and other texts written for and by Russian-speaking immigrants in New York City. The study focuses on English-origin items that appear in Russian texts, which are found to be written either in roman or Cyrillic script. Through an investigation of categorical and variable constraints on this variation, it is found that script choice relates to the distinction between lexical borrowing and single-item codeswitching. It is argued that writers may, consciously and on a token-by-token basis, choose the Cyrillic script to mark a word as borrowed or the roman script to mark it as foreign. However, they may also avoid this choice, as hybrid forms attest, especially when the use of characters shared by both alphabets allows ambiguous readings. The findings thus have implications for understanding notions of language boundaries in bilingual language use.Versions of this article were presented at two conferences: “Alphabetics: Interpreting letters” at Harvard University, 26–27 April 2003, and NWAVE 32, Philadelphia, 9–12 October 2003. I thank the audiences for their valuable insights and observations, especially Erika Boeckeler and Daniel Kokin. I also owe thanks to Katya Korsunskaya, Vladislav Rapoport, Doris Stolberg, Mario Geiger, and Tobias Kuhn. I am grateful to John Victor Singler, Mark Sebba, and Jannis K. Androutsopoulos, as well as to Jane H. Hill and to two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions. All errors and omissions remain my own.

Comparison of Utilization of Dental Care Services Among Chinese- and Russian-Speaking Immigrant Elders

The purpose of the study was to identify factors predictive of use of dental services among Chinese- and Russian-speaking immigrant elders. The data for this analysis were collected from the 1997 survey "Assessing public health and health care needs of Russian-speaking elderly immigrants." A similar survey was replicated among Chinese-speaking elderly immigrants in 2000. Community-based samples of 300 Russian elders and 177 Chinese elders were recruited for the study. Chinese elders used dental care services at lower rates than Russian elders. Education, length of stay in the U.S., social support, and smoking behavior were significant predictors for the use of dental services among Chinese. However, among Russian elders, age, income, and denture use predicted utilization of dental services. Although Chinese- and Russian-speaking elders have similar immigrant experiences and share the same geographic location and urban setting, the two groups have different patterns of dental service use. These differences may be due to differences in socio-demographic characteristics, values, attitudes and knowledge of oral health and dental care, and unique cultural backgrounds.

Russian-Language Periodicals in Toronto: Information Sources for Immigrants and Records for Documenting community

ABSTRACT This study examines the reading interests and preferences of Russian-speaking immigrants in Toronto with regard to periodicals, and discusses Russian-language periodicals published in the Greater Toronto Area as both a source of information for Russian-speaking readers and an indispensable resource for documenting numerous aspects of the Russian-speaking community to be preserved as historical record. The paper uses findings from a survey of the reading habits and interests of Russian-speaking immigrants conducted in the fall of 2001 in Toronto, and the data from a descriptive list of selected Russian-language periodical publications published in Toronto in the spring and summer of 2002. It illustrates that combining the survey technique with bibliographic work is of great benefit to both community studies and studies of the ethnic press.

Reading by Russian-speaking immigrants in Toronto: use of public libraries, bookstores, and home book collections

This article reports the results of a survey of the reading habits and interests of immigrants in Toronto who speak Russian as their first language, including their use of Canadian public libraries, ethnic and English-language bookstores, and their attitudes toward collecting books at home. The survey results show that Russian Canadians use the public library system extensively and for diverse purposes. They also make use of ethnic and English-language bookstores, purchasing materials in both Russian and English for leisure reading, educational and professional development, and expansion of their highly valued home collections. The peculiarities of the demands and behavior of first generation Russian-speaking immigrants are also discussed, especially with regard to changes in reading interests and attitudes associated with immigration, as well as the problems experienced by public libraries in meeting the needs of this clientele. Finally, recommendations for the improvement of public library services and collections for this linguistic group are provided.

Reading by Russian-speaking immigrants in Toronto: use of public libraries, bookstores, and home book collections

This article reports the results of a survey of the reading habits and interests of immigrants in Toronto who speak Russian as their first language, including their use of Canadian public libraries, ethnic and English-language bookstores, and their attitudes toward collecting books at home. The survey results show that Russian Canadians use the public library system extensively and for diverse purposes. They also make use of ethnic and English-language bookstores, purchasing materials in both Russian and English for leisure reading, educational and professional development, and expansion of their highly valued home collections. The peculiarities of the demands and behavior of first generation Russian-speaking immigrants are also discussed, especially with regard to changes in reading interests and attitudes associated with immigration, as well as the problems experienced by public libraries in meeting the needs of this clientele. Finally, recommendations for the improvement of public library services and collections for this linguistic group are provided.

Work Relations Between Immigrants and Old-Timers in an Israeli Organization: Social Interactions and Inter-Group Attitudes

Although immigrant workers have become an integral part of most organizations in immigrant-receiving countries, there is surprisingly little research on cross-cultural work relations, especially in the professional/white-collar sector. In Israel, where former Soviet immigrants comprise over 20 percent of the Jewish population, the presence of Russian-speaking workers and professionals is dense in almost every workplace.The current qualitative study is focused on everyday work relations and inter-group attitudes between long-time Israeli residents and recent Russian-speaking immigrants in the context of a medical organization. Twenty-five interviews with the veteran and new immigrant workers (conducted in Hebrew and in Russian) indicate that these groups diligently guard their social borders and separate identities, and share similar critical opinions on each other’s work ethic and competence. Conflicts arise around the issues of educational and work status gaps, relations with supervisors, and language use. The continuing use of Russian by immigrant workers is interpreted by Hebrew-speakers as a sign of their separatism and anti-Israeli outlook. The underlying mechanisms of mutual stereotyping are discussed.

Language acquisition as the main vehicle of social integration: Russian immigrants of the 1990s in Israel

Drawing on the survey in a representative national sample of 804 post-1989 Russian-speaking immigrants in Israel, this article highlights the key role of the host language acquisition as a pathway to economic success and social integration. Russian immigrants are known for their tendency for cultural and linguistic retention, which in the Israeli case was augmented by their advanced average age, problems of occupational integration, and the lack of their exposure to Jewish heritage (and Hebrew) in the former Soviet Union. The formation during the 1990s of a strong and self-sufficient Russian community in Israel - with its own labor market, consumer services, media, and social networks - was for many immigrants a further disincentive from improving their Hebrew level. Although they are able to meet most of their basic needs within the so-called Russian street, immigrants with poor Hebrew remain socially disengaged from the host society. The improvement of Hebrew skills with increasing tenure in Israel was mainly found among young and middle-aged respondents, while older ones do not report positive change over time. Younger and upwardly mobile immigrants show the tendency to additive bilingualism, including the elements of Hebrew into everyday communications and cultural/media consumption, while retaining Russian as the core language. Although the division between host language use in the public realm and mother tongue in the private circle largely keeps true, Hebrew gradually invades informal communications and Russian often enters public/occupational domain. Mastering and using Hebrew serves as the key trigger for the reshaping of immigrants' identity to include new Israeli elements. The ability for verbal expression and understanding is more crucial than reading and writing skills.

The Red, the White and the Blue

The two waves of immigration to Israel from the former Soviet Union, in the 1970s and the 1990s, have created the largest (over one million people) and most distinct cultural and linguistic ethnic community. Russian-speaking immigrants soon developed their own cultural institutions and attained significant political power. Rising communication needs led to the swift development of Russian media, including radio, television and over one hundred newspapers and periodicals, which fulfill a dual function: preserving one's former identity and ties to the old country while addressing newly created problems of acculturation, thereby reflecting contradictory trends of segregation and integration typical of migrant communities. This article explores the characteristics of the Russian broadcast and print media in Israel during their golden age and analyzes their social and cultural context by relating to two factors: the structural position of the Russian cultural minority as a voluntary `returning Diaspora', and the type of cultural field developed by this type of minority.

Drug Problems: Cross-cultural Policy and Program Development

Introduction by Richard E. Isralowitz and Richard A. Rawson The Social Context of Reality: Perspectives of Drug Use and Abuse Among Palestinian and Israeli People The Social Context and Reality of Substance Use in the Middle East by Richard E. Isralowitz Drugs and Peace: New Meanings, Old Metaphors-- The Palestinian-Israeli People Against Substance Abuse (PIPASA) Experience by Gary Sussman People in Transition Drug Abuse: Problems, Policies, and Programs in Palestine by Mohamed Afifi and Mahmoud Al-Zuheiry The West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip by Violet Fasheh, Mohamed Afifi, and Salah El-Sousi Psychoactive Substance Use by Jews and Arabs in Israel by Giora Rahav and Meir Teichman Alcohol Use Among Moslems and Druze in Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority: Theoretical Aspects and Trends by Shoshana Weiss, et al. Russian-Speaking Immigrants: Facts Associated with Heroin Use by Richard E. Isralowitz and Sofia Borkin Social Change and Substance Use Among Bedouin Arabs in Southern Israel by Ismael AbuSaad Toward an Understanding of Drug Prevalence Estimation and Evaluation for Palestinian and Israeli Populations Rapid Assessment and Response (RAR) to HIV and Psychoactive Substance Use: Relevance for the Eastern Mediterranean Region by Gundo Weiler, et al. Middle East Drug Use Watch (MEDUW): A Trilateral System to Measure the Type and Extent of Psychoactive Substance Use in Palestinian and Israeli Communities by Richard A. Rawson, Albert Hasson, and Richard E. Isralowitz Is There a Need for an International Screening Test? The Middle East as a Case in Point by Thomas F. Babor Perspectives of Drug Services: Needs and Intervention Strategies Patterns, Policies, and Treatment Strategies of Substance Abuse in Israel: Past and Present by David Elisha, Jorge Gleser, and Michael Reiter Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Using Scientifically Supported Treatment Manuals: A Strategy for Addressing Addiction Among Palestinian and Israeli People by Jeanne Obert, et al. Alcohol and Drug Abuse from an Islamic Perspective: Implications for Intervention by Alean Al-Krenawi, John R. Graham, and Mahmud A. Sehwail The Right Stuff: Key Personality Characteristics that Indicate Success in Overcoming Addiction in Israel by Rachel Lev-Wiesel The Evaluation of Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: Relevance to the Middle East by Maristela G. Monteiro Appendix 1: Department for the Treatment of Substance Abuse: A Review of Responsibilities and Services by Jorge Gleser, et al. Appendix 2: National Service for Drug Abuse Intervention, Division of Correctional Services, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, State of Israel by Ariela Segev Appendix 3: Anti-Drug Authority, State of Israel by Shlomo Gal Index

Crime and Manipulation of Identity among Russian-Speaking Immigrants in the Netherlands

This article reports on an ethnographic study of Russian-speaking immigrants in the Netherlands. Using interviews and media accounts, explanations are found for Russian immigrants' choice of the Netherlands as a place to conduct organized crime operations, why criminal proceeds are invested inside the Netherlands, and why there is a prevailing view of consensual organized crime activity as being nonserious. The negative public identity of Russian immigrants and how they have chosen to manipulate their criminal image, rather than contest it, are examined. It has become part of a social process in which a new Russian ethnic identity is constructed.

Living Arrangements, Depression, and Health Status Among Elderly Russian-Speaking Immigrants

This study examines the relationship between living arrangements, depression, and health status in a community-based sample of 300 elderly Russian-speaking immigrants. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire survey method. The questionnaire was designed to investigate various aspects of health, mental health, health services utilization, and health behaviors. A team of bilingual professionals was involved in the construction and translation of the survey instrument. The sample consists of 150 females and 150 males. The respondents' average age was 73.2 years. The regression analysis reveals that elderly Russian-speaking immigrants who live alone are more likely to experience a higher level of depression than those living with others. This relationship remains statistically significant after controlling for age, education, income, ability to speak English, years residing in the United States, gender, and health status. Since health status appears to influence depression, we performed further regression analyses and found that living arrangements had no statistically significant relationship with health status. Health status serves as an intermediate variable between the block of demographic variables and depression. Implications for future research are discussed.

Relationship of Perceived Culture Shock, Length of Stay in the U.S., Depression, and Self-Esteem in Elderly Russian-Speaking Immigrants

This article presents preliminary data on perceived culture shock (PCS), length of stay (LS), and depression in a sample of29 Russian speaking elderly (age ranged 54 to 81, mean = 65.8). The average LS in the United States was 4 years, 8 months. Measurement ofpcs was based on the number of irrational beliefs endorsed on the Perceived Culture Shock Inventory (PCSI) developed by the authors; level of depression was measured by Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961); self-esteem was measured by Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventories—Second Edition (CFSEI-2; Battle, 1981). It was hypothesized that the LS would be negatively related to the level ofdepression, contingent upon the level of PCS. Path analysis was used to analyze the data. Results indicated that 38% of variance in level of depression was explained by combined effects of PCS (Be a = 0.597, P = 0.001) and LS (Beta = -0.063, p = 0.698). LS accounted for 2.6% ofvariance in self-esteem.

Environmentalism and Estonia's Independence Movement

The spirit of environmentalism generated some of the most memorable images of the eastern and central European independence movements of the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1988, protesters formed a human chain around the Ignalina nuclear reactor in Lithuania. That same year, thousands of Hungarians marched through downtown Budapest to rally against their government's prospective participation in the construction of a dam on the Danube River. The environmental movements in the former eastern bloc marked the beginning of the end of Soviet era communism in Europe. However, many commentators have implied that environmental protest was a proxy for other, more politically explosive grievances. Environmentalism was decisive, it is argued, because it provided a release valve for pent-up frustrations and repressed nationalistic ardor. Re-examining the independence movement in Estonia, this article contends that environmentalism was not incidental to citizens’ larger aims. The specific, environmentally destructive activities people condemned embodied many of the features of the Soviet system that people despised generally. Resource-intensive and pollution-prone projects proposed by Moscow provoked a broadly conceived environmental revolt rather than environmental protest “in name only.” The environmentally related constituents of Estonia's independence movement included citizens’ opposition to pollution of the environment and waste of natural resources; perceived “mindlessness” of industrial policy in Estonia; the promise of new Russian-speaking immigrants to work in environmentally unfriendly industries; and economic exploitation of natural resources in Estonia for the benefit of other Soviet republics, especially the Russian RSFSR.

First Language Attrition in Russian Immigrants

The present study of individual language attrition (LA) attempts to combine social an psychological aspects in an examination of lexical processing. The data are based on loss of language skills by Russian speaking immigrants who had been in Israel from 5 to 20 years. All had acquired Russian as their native language and were literate in Russian upon arrival. Three data collection sessions were conducted in the participants' homes. Session 1 (spontaneous conversation) investigated each of four sociological domains: home, work/school, religion and immigration experience. Spontaneous conversation served as a source of information about the subjects as well as indication of their LA. Markers of attrition (pauses, code-switching, hesitations, circumlocutions) served as a basis for developing the tasks in two additional sessions (i.e. semantic opposites, hyponyms, picture naming, Tip-of-the-Tongue (TOT) phenomenon, etc.). The paper reports on data from several tasks, with a particular focus on: semantic opposites and Tip-of-the-Tongue (TOT) phenomena. For TOT, the speaker does not recall the target item, but does recall words of similar form and/or meaning. TOT was notes for low and middle frequency lexical items, with individual differences found between: 1. substitution of a different word for the intended word, usually accompanied by immediate apprehension of the error by the speaker; 2. circumlocution, i.e. when the inaccessible item is replaced by a definition and/or metalinguistic comments regarding its use. (For example, instead of the Russian equivalent of 'peacock' the following utterance: 'Well, a colourful bird, I forgot...'); 3. neologisms based on morphology. Findings are discussed in terms of an emerging processing model of LA based on Levelt's production model. The accessing process is parcelled into several sub-processes: full comprehension, successful seleaion of an appropriate lexical item from the mental lexion, after which there is a failure to access phonological encoding of that item in the appropriate language.

Estonia in September 1988: Stalinists, centrists and restorationists

E S T O N I A IN S E P T E M B E R 1988: S T A L I N I S T S , C E N T R I S T S AND RESTORATIONISTS Rein Taagepera, University of California, Irvine The situation in Estonia is changing beyond recognition by the month. A paper I gave in late April on this topic needed serious updating for an encore in early June and needs a complete rewrite now, in early September 1988. x By the rime it reaches the readers, the present article will be outdated, too. Either liberalization will have continued far beyond the present stage or a brutal back- lash will have cut it short. Is the scholar reduced to merely chronicling events? Not quite. There are three basic political currents that took shape a year ago and are likely to continue throughout further liberalization and even a crackdown. This framework will help to add analytical perspective to the chronicling. Political Forces in Soviet Estonia Broadly put, three political forces are vying for prominence in Estonia: Stalinists who want to keep the Soviet empire intact, perestroika-minded cen- trists whose goal is Estonia's sovereignty within a loose Soviet confederation, and restorationists who want to reestablish the pre-WWII Republic of Estonia. All three have appreciable support within the republic population. In many cases the same person is torn among all three: Emotionally he might yearn for the independence of the past, rationally he might hope only for a gradual for- marion of something new, and viscerally he might try to hang on to gains made under the old rules. (These gains include not only formal careers but much more; for instance, a skillful array of connections to obtain scarce consumer goods, lovingly built over a long time, would go to waste in an economy of plenty.) 1. The Stalinists lost control of the republic top leadership in June 1988 but are still entrenched in various bureaucracies. They are supported by the gut-level feelings of many of the Russian-speaking immigrants, who form one third of the population. Some Russian colonists are afraid of losing their privileged status, which they see as a right rather than a privilege. Many more feel that an JBS, Vol. XX, No. 2 (Summer 1989)