Study on Acculturation and Mental Health among Nikkei Immigrants in Japan, Brazil, and U.S.A.: from a Standpoint of Medical Sociology

本研究的主要目的是从医学社会学的角度考察留日日裔巴西人(JBJ)、在美日裔美国人(JA)和居住在巴西东北部的日裔巴西人(JBB)三种主要日本移民在文化适应过程中的压力源与健康状况之间的关系。由于进行概率抽样的困难，我们的参与者没有被认为是有代表性的样本；然而，我们正在尝试从相对较小的人群中招募相当数量的参与者，例如每个国家的日本移民。因此，我们的有效样本数量为JBJ为483；JA，553；关于JBJ，我们发现，尽管JBJ在适应日本社会方面面临着一些困难，如想家、工作时间长、工作压力大(即工作量过大)以及种族歧视，但我们发现，他们中的大多数都阻碍了建立更好的经济和生活条件，在同一民族内部相互支持。因此，超过三分之二的人对他们的日本生活感到满意。然而，考虑到日本国民对他们的社会支持不足，以及他们在劳动力市场上的职业地位受到限制，他们必须在日本社会中与日本人隔绝，生活机会很少，才能实现他们的人生目标。我们的研究表明，JBJ的生活条件与JBB和JA的生活条件形成了鲜明对比，JB和JA在各自的东道国生活了三四代以上。关于JA，作为后代，他们更多地被同化，即美国化，然而，我们发现混合血统的JA像第四代一样受到更大的压力。此外，日成人的安葬营经历可能会影响其后代的心理健康。

The primary purpose of this study was to examine relationships between stressors in acculturation process and health status among three major Japanese immigrants, such as Japanese Brazilians staying in Japan (JBJ), Japanese Americans in U.S.A. (JA), and Japanese Brazilians in northeastern part of Brazil (JBB), from a viewpoint of medical sociology. Due to difficulties of conducting probability sampling, our participants were not considered as the representative samples; however, we ware attempting to recruit a considerable number of participants from a relatively small population such as Japanese immigrants in each country As a result, the numbers of our valid samples were JBJ for 483; JA,553; and JBB, 201, respectively.Regarding JBJ, while having faced several difficulties to adapt Japanese society such as homesick and long working time, job stressors (i.e. over workload), as wall as racial discrimination, we found that most part of them were in the way of establishing better economic and living conditions, in terms of supporting each other within the same ethnic people. Hence, more than two thirds satisfied their Japan life. However, taking several conditions such as their poor social support form Japanese nationals, and restricted occupational status in labor market into account, they must be segregated from Japanese people in the Japan society and have poor life chances to fulfill their life goals. Our research suggested that living conditions of JBJ ware in sharp contrast to those of JBB as well as of JA, who have been living in respective host countries for more than three or four generations. Concerning JA, as succeeding generations, they were more assimilated, that is Americanized, howaver, we found mixed heritage JA as wall as the fourth generation were more stressed. Additionally, it was suggested that interment camp experiences among Nisei would influence on mental health of their succeeding generations.