International Journal of Social Psychiatry
Volume 44, Issue 1, 1998, Pages 35-45

Psychological distress among Ethiopian and Russian Jewish immigrants to Israel: A cross-cultural study (Article)

Ponizovsky A.* , Ginath Y. , Durst R. , Wondimeneh B. , Safro S. , Minuchin-Itzigson S. , Ritsner M.
  • a Psychiat. Epidemiology Research Unit, Talbieh Mental Health Center, Talbieh Mental Health Center, POB 4487, Jerusalem 91044, Israel
  • b Psychiat. Epidemiology Research Unit, Talbieh Mental Health Center
  • c Psychiat. Epidemiology Research Unit, Talbieh Mental Health Center
  • d Psychiat. Epidemiology Research Unit, Talbieh Mental Health Center
  • e Psychiat. Epidemiology Research Unit, Talbieh Mental Health Center
  • f Psychiat. Epidemiology Research Unit, Talbieh Mental Health Center
  • g Psychiat. Epidemiology Research Unit, Talbieh Mental Health Center

Abstract

A community survey was conducted examining the differences in levels of psychological distress and its symptomatology, comparing 110 Ethiopian-Jewish and 400 Russian-Jewish immigrants to Israel. Psychological distress was measured by the Talbieh Brief Distress Inventory. Russian immigrants were found to be more distressed than their Ethiopian counterparts and this between-group difference can be attributed to the greater relative number of females, older immigrants and those with longer duration of stay in Israel in the Russian sample. The highest levels of distress were observed for paranoid ideation in the Ethiopian sample and anxiety and hostility in the Russian sample. These symptoms were independent of gender and time since immigration. Russians with longer duration of stay demonstrated higher scores signifying adjustment difficulties than their Ethiopian counterparts. These results suggest that the differences in levels and symptom expression of psychological distress are determined, to a considerable extent, by demographic factors (sex, age) and the differing cultural backgrounds of the two immigrant groups.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

anxiety symptomatology immigrant Israel paranoia human sex difference controlled study Aged male female Jew cultural factor symptom Article Ethiopia major clinical study adult age distress syndrome hostility Russian Federation
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0031971005&doi=10.1177%2f002076409804400104&partnerID=40&md5=6e77728fc9050c597556aaf8c3a2dccf
DOI: 10.1177/002076409804400104
ISSN: 00207640
Cited by: 42
Original Language: English