Growing old in an adopted land: Cross-fertilizing ageing and acculturation research

The overall goal of the research programme is to produce a framework for understanding multicultural ageing that is culturally sensitive, ethical, and has a lifespan focus. The research has three main objectives. First, it explores the role of life-course experiences and the challenges of cultural adaptation in migrants’ ageing trajectories. Further, it seeks to identify individual and social resources as well as systemic and structural barriers to multicultural ageing. Finally, it aims to uncover empowering cultural identities. The research programme draws on a range of qualitative (narrative and dyadic interviews, photovoice) and quantitative (life history data and longitudinal surveys) methods. 

To learn more about the project, visit www.ageingmigrants.com.

This research is funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand – Te Apārangi.

The Health, Work, & Retirement Longitudinal Study

HWR is a longitudinal cohort study and is now in its 14th year of surveying a large sample of the New Zealand population as they move from work into retirement. The project investigates social integration and health of older New Zealanders by targeting past and future predictors of healthy ageing. My research focuses on life course inequalities, housing and social support as key predictors of health outcomes in old age. In addition, I do research on care giving and the relationship between health behaviours (e.g., alcohol use) and critical health outcomes.

For more information about the HWR project, please visit the website of the Health and Ageing Research Team: hart.massey.ac.nz or click on the picture below.

A Capabilities Approach to Quality of Life in Old Age     

This project is conducted in collaboration with A/Prof Martin Hyde from the Centre for Innovative Ageing at Swansea University, Wales. We aim to develop new ways of conceptualising and assessing quality of life in old age. We take a critical lens by moving away from the biomedical model and arguing for a capabilities perspective to studying healthy ageing and quality of life. We draw on data from New Zealand and England.

If you want to learn more about our approach, please check out the CASP-19 website.

Cultural Identity Styles: Pathways for Managing Multicultural Identities

Using multiple methods, including experiments, longitudinal and cross-sectional survey designs, this program of research aims to advance theorizing on acculturation and integration by elucidating the process through which members of immigrant and ethnic minority  groups negotiate multiple cultural identities and achieve positive psychological and social outcomes.

The project is led by Professor Colleen Ward (CACR, Victoria University of Wellington) and is conducted in collaboration with Dr Caroline Ng Tseung-Wong (University of Canberra, Australia).

A Daily Diary Study on Identity, Acculturation, and Psychosocial Functioning

The primary aim of this study is to develop a better understanding of how identity, acculturation and cultural stressors work in the day to day lives of first- and second-generation Hispanic immigrants.For more information about the project, click here.

This is a collaborative research project led by Professor Seth Schwartz (Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, FL) and Dr Alan Meca (Old Dominion University, VA).

Cross-cultural Understanding of Stress and Coping

The way people deal with stressful situations is influenced by a combination of personal, social and cultural factors. Strategies that are effective in one situation or context might not necessarily be as adaptive when dealing with a different life event or facing the same problem in a new cultural context. Using longitudinal surveys, I investigate the effectiveness of coping strategies in reducing the negative effects of acculturative and daily stressors across different situations, cultural groups, and social contexts.

Collaborators include Professor Paul Jose (Victoria University of Wellington), Dr Lan Anh Nguyen Luu (Institute for Intercultural Psychology and Education, Hungary), Zsuzsanna Z. Papp (Budapest Business School) and Dr Alex English (Shanghai International Studies University).