Between two cultures: Identity, roles, and health

Population shifts and migration are increasing worldwide, and with it there is a renewed interest in maintaining uniqueness and cultural heritage. Immigrants are constantly attempting to balance the values of their cultural heritage with those of the new host society. To deal with immigrant women's health-care needs, scientists from the host country need to understand the delicate interplay between several dynamic properties inherent in being a woman and an immigrant and to develop ways to describe the health-care needs and responses that are congruent with the properties of immigrant women's situations. Properties selected for this article are uniqueness versus stereotyping, permanence versus temporariness, and host-country values versus country-of-origin values. Appropriate methods of research discussed are involvement, lived experiences, and satisfaction and stress in roles. Proposed agendas for future study of immigrant women include identifying high-risk populations among immigrant women and developing appropriate methodological strategies and population-specific interventions.