ABSTRACT
Unlike all other immigrants to the United States, the ancestors of African Americans did not come to the United States by choice. The majority of African-American elders live in the South; smaller numbers live in the north central, northeastern, and western regions of the United States. African-American families include both biological members and nonbiological members. Among African-American elderly and their families, the tradition of receiving care from informal sources and their continued underrepresentation in nursing homes suggest that African-American elders are more dependent on home care. Many African Americans believe that through their involvement with Bible study groups, prayer meetings, and advice from a minister they will achieve solution to their problems. Acculturated African Americans tended to blame themselves for problems, whereas traditional African Americans tended to deny problems, with both of these maladaptive coping styles predicting psychiatric symptoms.
