Abstract
The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between life satisfaction, acculturation, acculturative stress, ethnic identity, and gender role ideology among Armenian-American women. The convenience sample of 204 women of Armenian descent (ages 18-77 years) residing in Southern California and in Phoenix, Arizona, completed a questionnaire packet which included the following scales: a Demographics Form, the Armenian Ethnic Orientation Questionnaire (AEOQ-R), the Acculturation Rating Scale for Armenian-Americans- modified version (ARSAA), the Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental scale of acculturative stress (S.A.F.E), the Traditional-Egalitarian Sex Role Scale (TESRS), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Contrary to predictions, the results of the study indicated ethnic identity and level of acculturation did not significantly predict the level of life satisfaction in the sample. As hypothesized, a statistically significant negative correlation was found between acculturative stress and life satisfaction. Supporting the predictions of this study, a significant correlation was found between egalitarian gender role attitudes and life satisfaction. Contrary to predictions, the findings of this study indicated that the combination of acculturation, acculturative stress, ethnic identity, and gender role ideology did not significantly predict life satisfaction. However, only acculturative stress significantly predicted with levels of life satisfaction in Armenian-American women. Implications and limitations of these findings were discussed.