Immigration has been shown to be a difficult transition, often associated with depressed mood. This study examined the emotional well-being of 220 adolescent immigrants of German descent from Poland, Romania, and the former Soviet Union, who had been living in Germany for between a few weeks and about 3 years. Within 2 years or 4 measurement points the emotional status of the immigrants as a group improved over time. This improvement differed between individuals. Regression analysis showed that improved emotional well-being in the 113 adolescents who had lived in Germany for longer was associated with then having come to Germany of their own free will, as well as with greater family cohesion, greater autonomy in decision making, and higher levels of social leisure activities, including contacts with adolescent peers. Among newcomers (N = 107), however, improved emotional well-being was less contact to local peers. Differences are interpreted in terms of social comparison processes: initially, contact with local peers make the immigrants feel like strangers, but later contacts provide information and social reinforcement, both of which help to regain well-being.

Re-migrants Immigration Ethnic Germans Acculturation Adolescents Well-being

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