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Somatic Symptoms Among Older Soviet Immigrants: an Exploratory Study

Columbia University, Fellow in Psychiatric Epidemiology, 154 Haven Avenue, Apt. 406, New York, New York, 10032, United States

Joseph A. Flaherty

University of Illinois Department of Psychiatry, 912 S. Wood St., Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States

Itzhak Levav

Hadassah Medical Organization-Hebrew University Department of Social Medicine, POB 1172, Jerusalem 91010, Israel

This exploratory study investigates the overlap of somatization and depressive symp toms among older Jewish-Soviet immigrants to the United States. It has been sug gested that this group has depression often masked by somatic complaints. In order to test this hypothesis fifty-five respondents completed the Symptom Checklist 90, PERI Demoralization Scale and the Social Support Network Inventory. The somatiza tion subscale was found to be significantly higher among older Soviet immigrants than in a depressed group, yet the depression subscale was significantly lower. Com pared to a group of normal controls both the depression and somatization subscales were significantly elevated. Somatization, depression, and demoralization were elevated in Soviet immigrants. The results of this study are discussed in the context of the available literature on cross-cultural psychiatry and somatization. The clinical relevance of these findings is highlighted.

International Journal of Social Psychiatry, Vol. 35, No. 4, 350-360 (1989)
DOI: 10.1177/002076408903500408


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