Ethnicity and stress among older Australians.

The impact of ethnicity on the stress process in old age was examined using two surveys of Australians aged 60 years and older. Four different "ethnic strata" were defined: namely, mainstream Australians, British migrants, and non-British migrants--who were split on the basis of whether their English proficiency was good or poor. The ethnic stratum most different from mainstream Australian, non-British migrants with poor English proficiency, was a significant predictor of psychological distress in the context of other relevant variables. Within the four "ethnic" strata, network variables were significantly related to psychological distress only for non-British migrants, with relatives being important for those with poor English and nonrelatives for those with good English. For mainstream Australians, female gender, poor health, and specific living arrangements were significant predictors of psychological distress.