ADJUSTMENT PROBLEMS AMONG SOVIET IMMIGRANTS AT RISK .2. EMOTIONAL DISTRESS AMONG ELDERLY SOVIET IMMIGRANTS DURING THE GULF-WAR

The nature and components of emotional distress under the threefold st ress - old age, immigration and war - were studied in a group of 170 e lderly Soviet immigrants in two settings - a mental health hotline for Soviet immigrants and an outreach project to immigrants deemed at ris k. Most of the subjects reported distress during and following the war . Outreach subjects reported lower levels of distress determined by em otional factors and were much more concerned with objective problems r elated to immigration. In contrast, the predominant determinants of th e hotline subjects' distress were emotional reactions related to the w ar. Among the emotional reactions, anxiety reactions were the most com mon symptom among women, while depressive reactions were more characte ristic of men. Identified risk factors for emotional distress in men i ncluded prior experience with acute stress (Chernobyl accident) and li ving within an extended family. Academic education was identified as a resilience factor for women. No factors were identified that related to emotional distress combined with active help seeking behavior. This finding is particularly important in the context of primary and secon dary prevention with Soviet immigrants.