This study employs data from the 1988 National Survey of Hispanic Elderly People to examine the impact of age at migration and social contacts on the self-assessed health, functional disability, and life satisfaction of elderly Cuban Americans, Mexican Americans, and Puerto Ricans in the United States. The results indicate that the difficulties associated with immigration late in life undermine an older person's morale and interfere with the ability to perform basic activities of daily living. Although children are important sources of social support for all Hispanic groups, our findings also reveal important group differences in the use of other community social resources and their impact on health. Older Cuban Americans, in particular, appear to benefit from residence in ethnic enclaves in which they have largely duplicated their culture of origin. © 1992, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.

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Puerto Rico morality Life Style human Health Behavior wellbeing daily life activity immigration Cohort Studies health status Aged social support Cuba Mexico Social Work Hispanic Americans male female Socioeconomic Factors Multivariate Analysis Health Status Indicators Article Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. social adaptation functional disease Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Social Environment age Age Factors Interviews Emigration and Immigration Cultural Characteristics satisfaction