Met expectations and the wellbeing of diaspora immigrants: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Previous research has pointed to the importance of expectations for the adaptation of immigrants. However, most studies have been methodologically retrospective with only limited possibilities to show the optimal relationship between migrants' expectations and actual acculturation experiences for their wellbeing and other aspects of psychological adaptation. Moreover, previous research has been conducted mostly among sojourners and students. This longitudinal study focused on the relationship between premigration expectations and postmigration experiences of diaspora immigrants from Russia to Finland (N = 153). We examined how the fulfillment of premigration expectations in social (i.e., family relations, friendships, and free time) and economic (i.e., occupational position, working conditions, and economic and career situation) domains affects immigrants' wellbeing (i.e., satisfaction with life and general mood) after migration. Three alternative models of expectation confirmation (i.e., disconfirmation model, ideal point model, and the importance of experiences only) derived from previous organizational psychological research were tested with polynomial regression and response surface analysis. In the economic domain, immigrants' expectations, experiences, and their interrelationship did not affect wellbeing in the postmigration stage. However, in the social domain, the more expectations were exceeded by actual experiences, the better were life satisfaction and the general mood of immigrants. The results underline the importance of social relationships and the context-dependent nature of immigrants' wellbeing. Interventions in the preacculturation stage should create positive but realistic expectations for diaspora immigrants and other groups of voluntary (re)migrants. Furthermore, policies concerning the postmigration stage should facilitate the fulfillment of these expectations and support the social adaptation of immigrants.

The mixed blessings of migration: Life satisfaction and self‐esteem over the course of migration

“…In general, the weaker than expected effects of acculturation attitudes could be due to the different association between attitudes and well-being in different acculturation domains, such as private and public (e.g., Navas et al, 2005). It thus could be possible that if assessed domain-specifically, attitudes related more to the private than to the public life sphere could have been more important predictors of well-being (e.g., Mähönen, Leinonen, & Jasinskaja-Lahti, 2013). Moreover, it might be the case that the way cultural maintenance is typically assessed (i.e., with reference to the cultural group of the country of origin) is not the most optimal for multiply identified individuals, such as the Ingrian Finnish respondents in our study.…”

Lithuanian Temporary Workers in Iceland in Another Economic Boom: Expectations and Experiences

“…In addition, in one study by Tartakovsky and Schwartz, (2001;cited by Mahönen et al 2013) on young Jewish emigrants from Russia showed that security for oneself and one's family was a stronger motivation than motivators related to selfdevelopment, such as personal growth in knowledge and skills, and materialism, such as wealth and control over material resources, among people who chose Israel as their destination country, as compared to economically more developed countries such as Germany and the USA. A decision to emigrate to Finland, in the study by Mahönen, may have been driven by the expectations related to social relationships and the role of positive expectation confirmation, as discussed above, as opposed to the role of material welfare that is experienced as factor enhancing psychological wellbeing after migration (Mahönen et al 2013).…”

“…Thus if the relevance of different kinds of expectations varies in different situations and contexts, it is possible that social relationships and free time is more important than one's economic situation and work life, such as in the context of diaspora migration from Russia to Finland as stated by Mahönen et al (2013), but job exhaustion can be related to TAWs job insecurity (Giunchi et al 2016). In addition, in one study by Tartakovsky and Schwartz, (2001;cited by Mahönen et al 2013) on young Jewish emigrants from Russia showed that security for oneself and one's family was a stronger motivation than motivators related to selfdevelopment, such as personal growth in knowledge and skills, and materialism, such as wealth and control over material resources, among people who chose Israel as their destination country, as compared to economically more developed countries such as Germany and the USA.…”

‘Healing Young Hearts’: <i>emotional and psychosocial dimensions of well-being among young–adult Spanish migrants in the London region</i>

“…Exploring emotions and well-being during the adaptation period provides a more multidimensional understanding of the integration of the migrant in the host country, including their sense of belonging there (Boccagni & Baldassar 2015). Previous research has identified the various factors that influence the adaptation period, including cultural aspects of the host country, language knowledge, religion, economic hardship, educational level, occupational trajectory, perceived discrimination, fulfilment of migration expectations, and social support (see, inter alia, Mähönen, Leinonen & Jasinskaja-Lahti 2013;Bak-Klimek et al 2015;Elgorriaga, Ibabe & Arnoso 2016). Adaptation and belonging might also depend on the difference between the two cultures and willingness of the individual to change (Bhugra 2004).…”