Psychological distress among recent Russian immigrants in the United States

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological status of Russian immigrants who have recently come to the United States. Aims: The project included creation of a Russian version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25) in order to identify anxiety and depression in members of the Russian-speaking immigrant population. Methods: Translation and adaptation included (a) cross-cultural adaptation; (b) translation; (c) pre-testing; and (d) analysis of validity, reliability and internal consistency. Seventeen Russian-speaking patients at a Russian psychiatric clinic were recruited for the study and were compared with a sample of 42 Russian-speaking members of the community. Results: The instrument showed internal consistency when evaluated with coefficient alpha. Clinic patients had significantly higher anxiety and depression symptom scores than community subjects. Russian immigrants' scores on the anxiety and depression scales were less than comparative data for the United States and notably less than similar measures for Russian immigrants to Israel. Conclusions: Recent Russian immigrants to the United States appear to have low prevalences of anxiety and depression.