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Arab Americans and the Aging Process

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Biopsychosocial Perspectives on Arab Americans

Abstract

The aging process draws attention to well-being in later life. Aging and the well-being of Arab American elders is fundamentally influenced by family relations and immigration. In this chapter, we discuss four contemporary theoretical perspectives: life course perspective, convoy model of social relations, intergenerational solidarity/ambivalence, and successful aging to highlight social aspects of the aging process. We examine how each perspective applies to Arab Americans and identify new directions for future research. Finally, practice implications are suggested to account for the pragmatic realities of life in the USA yet show awareness of traditional cultural values.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    It should be noted, however, that Census numbers do not always coincide with community population statistics. For instance, 1990 Census data using the ancestry question suggested there were 151,493 Arab Americans in Michigan; however, community-based estimates suggested the number to be closer to 490,000 (The Zogby Study, 1997). Moreover, while the 2000 Census data suggested that 11 % of the Arab American population in Michigan was 55 years old or more, a representative sample of the metropolitan Detroit area of those aged 20 and over reported that 27 % of the Arab American population was 55 years old or more (Ajrouch & Jamal, 2007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, 11-0236, Riad El Solh, 1107 2020, Beirut, Lebanon

    Sawsan Abdulrahim

  2. Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology, Eastern Michigan University, 712 Pray-Harrold, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA

    Kristine J. Ajrouch

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  1. Sawsan Abdulrahim
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Correspondence to Sawsan Abdulrahim .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Curriculum and Instruction, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA

    Sylvia C. Nassar-McMillan

  2. Department of Sociology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA

    Kristine J. Ajrouch

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

    Julie Hakim-Larson

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Abdulrahim, S., Ajrouch, K.J. (2014). Arab Americans and the Aging Process. In: Nassar-McMillan, S., Ajrouch, K., Hakim-Larson, J. (eds) Biopsychosocial Perspectives on Arab Americans. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8238-3_6

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