Ethnic Diversity Over the Past

Ethnic Diversity Over the past 40 years, there has been a wave of large-scale immigration to the United States, and today, immigrants number approximately 55 million persons, or one out of every five Americans (Louie, 2002). Indeed, world migration today remains at some of the highest levels in history, and the United States has made substantial progress in learning how to better meet the needs of these newly arrived immigrants from countries all over the world (Tomas, 2001).

Nevertheless, newly arrived immigrants are still faced with an enormous challenge in terms of differences in language, culture, customs and employment (White, 1993). Furthermore, younger immigrants have a distinct advantage over their elderly counterparts as well in terms of coping ability and a diminished need for a support system in place (Inose & Yeh, 2002). In this regard, elderly immigrants from the formerly communist nations of Eastern Europe in general and the Czech Republic in particular as faced with some profound changes in their lives when they arrive in the United States.

In fact, immigrants in general typically experience higher rates of psychological distress than their host populations based on the differences in customs, gender roles, expectations and lifestyles they encounter (Aroian, Chiang, & Norris, 2003), but research has shown that coping strategies for newly arrived immigrants tend to differ across cultures (Cross, 1995). There are also important differences in social customs between formerly communist countries and the United States that will impact the new arrival.

The degree and rapidity with which these newly arrived immigrants are able to assimilate themselves into their new lifestyle will be directly affected by the type of support system that awaits them; if they have family and friends, and there is a large community of immigrants from the same country or region of the world, these new arrivals stand a much better chance of making the transition from the Old World to the New with as little emotional and psychological turmoil as possible (Louie, 2002).

In fact, many new immigrants initially settle in communities that have a high concentration of residents from the same country of origin, a process that is frequently guided by the social ties inherent in chain immigration, where one generation follows the next after they have become established (White, 1993). According to this author, "For reasons of cultural proximity and the social and economic benefits inherent in ethnic ties, individuals choose to live near others of the same ethnic group well beyond initial reception in the host country" (p. 95).

While many nationalities have such established support systems already in place, many such immigrant support networks remain weak today (Ramirez, 2002).

Furthermore, these elderly citizens will likely be accustomed to a level of respect and honor that may be missing from the cultural setting upon their arrival in the United States, further contributing to the potential for "culture shock." According to Haskins (1999), culture shock is "a feeling of impotence that results from the inability to deal with the environment because of unfamiliarity with cognitive aspects and role-playing skills; we usually think of culture shock when we imagine immigrant groups visiting or moving to a new country" (p. 122).

There are opportunities for culture shock across all measures for new immigrant, many of them unperceived and unexpected from the host nation's perspective. For example, Stanger (1999) notes that despite the ready availability of a modern metro subway system, most senior citizens in Prague still prefer streetcars since they do not require the navigation of long staircases and the potentially large crowds that can be dangerous for older individuals.

"Many older streetcar patrons have been riding the same line their entire lives along streets whose names have changed a number of times," Stanger says, and "Social etiquette on the tram is very clearly defined and almost religiously followed. The young routinely relinquish their seats to the old" (p. 98). Unfortunately, elderly immigrants in the U.S. may not encounter.