Table I.
Differences and similarities in experiences of the most and least socially isolated participants.
| Highest Social Isolation | Lowest Social Isolation |
|---|---|
| Differences in experiences | |
| Low social identity continuity | High social identity continuity |
| Low sense of connection with country of origin | High maintenance of connection with country of origin |
| “Friends, I have no friends [in Spain] because I’ve been too long here. All the family, [are] not like me.” (#35, male, age 78) | “When I’m in Holland I’m there, I’m happy and I see everyone…So when I’m in Holland all the family and the neighbours and everything, and people I’ve gone to school with, I still contact these people” (#12, female, age 82) |
| Family support limited | High family support |
| “All my children go to work. Nobody can take care of me. So I try my best, and always try to do things by myself.” (#19, female, age 71) | “I have a good family. My grandchildren always put a note ‘Welcome home’ at the door when I get out or away. When I return, I will first see it; it warms my heart, very happy. Our relationship is very close.” (#4, female, age 74) |
| Low social identity gain | High social identity gain |
| High perceived cultural differences and discrimination | Cultural differences are emphasized to lesser extent |
| “…they [children] grow up here in this society, and they don’t think the way Vietnamese do. Our Vietnamese people have our own good traditions, but they don’t value those traditions.” (#19, female, age 71) | “But this [Australia] is my second home, you know. So I’ve really become accustomed to it…And we had to get used to the food here. First time I had some prawns, I thought they were just striped carrots. Because I’d never seen prawns before…you know but it was great.” (#7, female, age 66) |
| Concern over English language barrier | High English fluency or does not perceive low English proficiency as a barrier. |
| “…over there I was able to cope better because we could speak the same language…. I could have learned English but I can’t when I am tired. Now I see how much I missed out on…That’s why I lost out on friendships here.” (#8, male, age 90) | “Many old people first were very enthusiastic about learning English, but soon gave up. I am different. I see learning English as my interest…Learning English is part of my life now.” (#4, female, age 74) |
| Minimal contact with broader society | Mixes with different cultural groups, including Australian groups |
| “I actually realise I have very little connection with Australian people now. Hmmm. I don’t know how that came but I really have very little.” (#6, female, age 83) | “What I like is all different nations. And I find it interesting to talk to people. I don’t tell that “That is strange, or that is funny”. I find them interesting. (#12, female, age 82) |
| Few social connections | Socially well connected |
| “But when he [husband] passed suddenly away, I felt very isolated…Well since my husband passed away its, well it’s not like I’m connected with a lot of people.” (#6, female, age, 83) | “But I’ve got a good lot of friends now. We go for coffee in the morning…I keep in touch with about three of them [previous work colleagues] and they come and you know we have lunch together and all that and I’ve got these friends, Filipino friends, there’s about eight of them.” (#39, female, age 72) |
Similarities in experiences
| |
Highest social isolation (n = 5) and lowest social isolation (n = 5). Categorizations are based on quantitative social isolation scores and self-reported qualitative interview data.