Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Volume 44, Issue 4, 2009, Pages 308-316

Psychosocial adaptation of adolescent migrants in a Swiss community survey (Article)

Steinhausen H.-C.* , Bearth-Carrari C. , Winkler Metzke C.
  • a Dept. of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Neumünsterallee 9, 8032 Zürich, Switzerland
  • b Dept. of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Neumünsterallee 9, 8032 Zürich, Switzerland
  • c Dept. of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Neumünsterallee 9, 8032 Zürich, Switzerland

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare psychosocial adaptation in adolescent (first generation) migrants, double-citizens (mainly second generation with one migrant parent), and native Swiss, and to compare migrants from various European regions. Method: Data from a community survey were based on 1,239 participants (mean age 13.8, SD = 1.6 years) with 996 natives, 55 double-citizens, and 188 migrants. The adolescents completed the youth self-report measuring emotional and behavioural problems, and various questionnaires addressing life events, personality variables, perceived parental behaviour (PPB), family functioning, school environment, and social network. Results: Adolescent migrants had significantly higher scores for internalizing and externalizing problems. There was a pattern of various unfavourable psychosocial features including life events, coping, self-related cognitions, and PPB that was more common among adolescent migrants than natives. Double-citizens were similar to natives in all domains. Young adolescents from South and South-East Europe differed from natives in terms of more unfavourable psychosocial features. Migrant status was best predicted by adverse psychosocial features rather than emotional and behavioural problems. Conclusion: There is some indication that certain migrant adolescents are at risk of psychosocial mal-adaptation. Obviously, ethnic origin is an important moderator. © Steinkopff Verlag Darmstadt 2008.

Author Keywords

Migration Psychosocial adaptation Epidemiology Adolescents Cross-cultural comparison

Index Keywords

personality disorder family functioning social psychology health survey human Self Report life event ethnic group controlled study coping behavior social network Adaptation, Psychological psychosocial disorder Humans maladjustment Cross-Cultural Comparison Adolescent male environmental factor female cognition adaptive behavior questionnaire European Union emotional disorder Article behavior disorder Adolescent Behavior major clinical study migration age distribution Transients and Migrants parental behavior citizenship Switzerland Data Collection Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-63949085396&doi=10.1007%2fs00127-008-0437-7&partnerID=40&md5=6413775b1ced45ece5e6946a76a52e28
DOI: 10.1007/s00127-008-0437-7
ISSN: 09337954
Cited by: 19
Original Language: English