Alpysbekova Aigerim, Lee Seo Woo, Scaramutti Carolina, Bochkina Elena, Kyoung Lee Tae, Cobb Cory L, Montero-Zamora Pablo, Vo Duyen H, Sahbaz Sumeyra, Ertanir Beyhan, Watkins Lawrence, Gualdron Evelyn O, Benish-Weisman Maya, Ohana Hanit, Elizarov Einat, Schwartz Seth J
Department of Kinesiology & Health Education, College of Education, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA.
J Adolesc. 2025 Aug;97(6):1610-1621. doi: 10.1002/jad.12522. Epub 2025 May 23.
Cultural stressors during migration can shape family dynamics and impact mental health outcomes. This study investigates the relationship between cultural stress, parent-adolescent communication, and psychological well-being among Former Soviet Union (FSU) immigrant families in Israel.
This longitudinal survey study collected data at three time points. The first wave of data collection occurred between June and August 2020, recruiting families across Israel through social media, word-of-mouth, and referrals. Analyses were conducted on a final sample of 160 FSU immigrant adolescents (aged 12-15) and their parents, after accounting for attrition across waves. We used maximum likelihood estimation so that cases with missing data could be retained in analysis. Surveys assessed cultural stressors, parent-adolescent communication, and mental health indicators (self-esteem, hope, anxiety, and depressive symptoms).
Cultural distance was negatively associated with parental depressive symptoms but did not result in expected negative effects on adolescents. Parent-adolescent communication at Time 2 mediated the relationship between cultural stress and adolescent well-being. Additionally, discrimination experiences at Time 1 were positively associated with adolescents' hope at Time 3.
Despite the challenges posed by cultural stress, parent-adolescent communication emerged as a protective factor, and was associated with lower levels of mental health issues. These findings highlight the importance of familial communication to support the well-being of immigrant adolescents during acculturation.
移民过程中的文化压力源会影响家庭动态，并对心理健康结果产生影响。本研究调查了以色列前苏联（FSU）移民家庭中文化压力、亲子沟通与心理健康之间的关系。
这项纵向调查研究在三个时间点收集数据。第一波数据收集于2020年6月至8月期间进行，通过社交媒体、口碑传播和推荐在以色列各地招募家庭。在考虑各波次的损耗后，对160名前苏联移民青少年（12 - 15岁）及其父母的最终样本进行了分析。我们使用最大似然估计，以便在分析中保留有缺失数据的案例。调查评估了文化压力源、亲子沟通和心理健康指标（自尊、希望、焦虑和抑郁症状）。
文化距离与父母的抑郁症状呈负相关，但并未对青少年产生预期的负面影响。第2阶段的亲子沟通在文化压力与青少年幸福感之间起中介作用。此外，第1阶段的歧视经历与青少年在第3阶段的希望呈正相关。
尽管文化压力带来了挑战，但亲子沟通成为了一个保护因素，并与较低水平的心理健康问题相关。这些发现凸显了家庭沟通在支持移民青少年文化适应过程中的幸福感方面的重要性。
