Acculturation as a predictor of depressive symptoms and life satisfaction among older Iranian immigrants in Canada

Limited acculturation of older ethnic immigrants in Canada may adversely impact their psychological well-being. When older adults are equipped with effective means of communication and are familiarized with the services and resources of their host country, they can expand their networks to foster service use and buffer them against isolation. As the existing literature suggests, there could be an association between health behaviour and acculturation. For this thesis, it was hypothesized that less acculturated Iranian-born older adults in Canada experience reduced psychological well-being. Demographic characteristics of this population also may account for variability in both acculturation and indicators of mental health; these were also examined as predictors of psychological well-being thesis. The results of this thesis indicated that acculturation predicts life satisfaction but not depressive symptoms among older Iranian immigrants residing in Metro Vancouver.