As the migration crisis unfolds, increasing attention is being paid to the challenges faced by immigrant families and children. Adaptation to a new country is particularly difficult for adolescents, as the separation processes typical for this age can reduce their adaptive capacity.
We conducted a study in Russia aimed at analyzing the relationship between adolescents' relationships with their parents and their psychological well-being in the context of immigration.
The participants were: 47 Russian adolescents and 44 adolescents from immigrant families. Among the latter group, 21 adolescents had migrated to the Russia with their parents about 3 years ago, while 23 adolescents were born in the Russia to immigrants' families. All respondents were proficient in Russian.
The following methods were used: Ryff's PWB, ADOR by Matejcek, Rican, PSI by Hoffman.
The results showed that adolescents from immigrant families have lower levels of psychological well-being than those living in their home country and adolescents born in the host country demonstrate the lowest levels.
Immigrant adolescents born I the host country tend to characterize their mothers as inconsistent and their fathers as distant. Adolescents who moved to a new country with their parents are more likely to report positive interest from their fathers. No significant differences were found between the groups in psychological separation.
Overall, the well-being of all adolescents is positively associated with the quality of their relationships with their parents, their independence from their parents and the harmonious separation process. However, for adolescents who recently immigrated, the ability to receive functional support from parents is positively associated with their well-being.
Thus, relationships with parents are an important factor in the socio-psychological adaptation of immigrant adolescents, but this varies depending on whether the child was born in the host or the country of origin. Understanding these nuances will allow for more effective psychological support for migrant families.