Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology

Knaifel, Evgeny; Rubinstein, Ludmila; Mirsky, Julia

doi: 10.1177/00220221251393693pmid: N/A

Despite the high prevalence of mental health problems among immigrants in many Western countries, little is known about how they or their family members perceive their immigration and adaptation processes. This qualitative article provides a retrospective investigation of immigration perceptions of families from the former Soviet Union in Israel who care for a relative with severe mental illness. Through holistic analysis of in-depth semi-structured interviews with 32 family caregivers, 3 key migration narratives emerged: immigration as loss and trauma, immigration as an obligation and sacrifice, and immigration as hope and recovery. In addition, the illness’s narrative profile emerged in three interviews in which migration was not mentioned at all. The findings indicated how the perception of the intersection of immigration and illness challenges traditional meta-narratives of immigration, especially when the onset of a family member’s illness occurs post-migration. The study highlights the need to reduce the subjective burden of family caregivers rooted in negative meanings of migration and advocates for more tailored social policies for them and their relatives before and after immigration.

Slobodin, Ortal; Kalet, Tal; Berger Raanan, Rony; Pinchover, Shulamit

doi: 10.1177/00220221251387727pmid: N/A

Although the role of culture and context in parenting attitudes and practices has long been recognized, the current knowledge of cultural socialization processes in childhood remains limited. In this study, we examined how cultural considerations inform socialization processes in different national, religious, and immigrant groups in Israeli society. We analyzed 36 semi-structured interviews with mothers from five groups: Jewish ultra-Orthodox mothers, Bedouin-Arab mothers, Palestinian-Arab mothers from East Jerusalem, mothers of Ethiopian origin, and mothers of Former Soviet Union (FSU) origin. The interview protocol followed Cohen’s parental awareness-level interview guideline. Four themes were developed, capturing cultural considerations in socialization processes: socialization goals, transgenerational transmission, communicating culture and religion in everyday parenting, and protecting against discrimination and racism. Our results provide theoretical and practical implications for working with parents from diverse backgrounds.

Rahman, Tasfia; Lovero, Kathryn L.; Misra, Supriya

doi: 10.1177/00220221251389101pmid: N/A

We explore the dynamics of mental health, family, and migration within the experiences of United States–based South Asian immigrants with severe mental illness (SMI) diagnoses and their family members. We utilized a grounded theory approach to understand emerging unique cultural aspects (i.e., on economic hardship, racial discrimination) that have not been previously identified. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 South Asian patients with an SMI diagnosis, 11 family members of South Asian patients with an SMI diagnosis, and four clinicians. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data with a specific focus on family relationships, migration experiences, and South Asian cultural influences. We identified three themes: “Stories of Isolation,” “Complexities of Care,” and “Dynamics of Gender, Illness, and Family.” These themes reflect the complex dynamics involved in migration, family, and mental health for South Asian immigrant families in the United States. Furthermore, we expanded the notion of familial vulnerability by focusing on how structural vulnerabilities induce widespread distress within a family unit and affect multiple kinds of gendered relations within a family.