The impact of ethnic identity upon the adjustment and satisfaction of Jewish and African American residents in a long-term care facility.

The role of ethnicity in shaping the adjustment process and satisfaction level of cognitively intact older adults with nursing home living is examined in two predominant ethnic groups in an 816 bed long-term care facility. A convenience sample was used to select 71 Jewish and 21 African American residents age 65 and older. Face-to-face interviews were conducted at a single point in time and incorporated four scales that measure strength of ethnic identity, adjustment and satisfaction with residency. Ethnic behavior was the only ethnic identity measure that was significantly associated with resident adjustment and with satisfaction. The two ethnic groups did not differ significantly in the association of ethnic identity with adjustment and satisfaction. Additional research will be necessary to establish the generalizability of these results to other ethnic and racial groups.