How Young Refugees Cope with Conflict in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Urban Schools

Abstract

Objective This study compared how young people from diverse migration backgrounds (refugee, immigrant, and local) cope with interpersonal conflicts with an aim to understand how practitioners can most effectively support young people of different backgrounds. Productive, non‐productive, and reference to other coping styles were expected to differ according to students’ age, exposure to trauma, and migration backgrounds. Methods Mixed methods were used to explore the meaning of conflict within culturally and linguistically diverse school settings, and investigate how social factors influenced students’ preferred coping styles in relation to conflict. Eighty students attending mainstream and specialist language schools in Melbourne completed measures regarding their exposure to traumatic events and preferred coping styles when dealing with conflicts. Results Significant positive correlations were found between exposure to trauma and age, as well as exposure to trauma and the use of non‐productive coping across the sample. Analyses on traumatic event items revealed that young refugees, compared to immigrant or locals, were more likely to have been exposed to events such as sudden death of a person, fire, or war zones. Conclusions Findings suggested practitioners must consider how multiple factors such trauma, social environment, and everyday stressors influence how young people cope with conflict. Universal interventions with a problem‐solving and coping framework are likely to be beneficial to those students exposed to trauma and whole school communities.

Annual Research Review: A multilevel bioecological analysis of factors influencing the mental health and psychosocial well‐being of refugee children

“…Psychomorbidity including emotional problems, depression, anxiety and somatic symptoms are more prevalent in girls (Akiyama et al, 2013; Buchegger‐Traxler & Sirsch, 2012; Çeri & Nasiroğlu, 2018; Nasıroğlu et al, 2018; Oppedal, Özer, & Şirin, 2018; Panter‐Brick, Grimon, Kalin, & Eggerman, 2015; Vervliet, Lammertyn, Broekaert, & Derluyn, 2014). This is linked to such factors as ‘non‐productive’ coping strategies (Cameron, Frydenberg, & Jackson, 2018), higher levels of dissatisfaction with living conditions, feelings of hopelessness for the future (Nasıroğlu et al, 2018) and lower neighbourhood attachment (Buchegger‐Traxler & Sirsch, 2012). This is despite boys being exposed to more traumatic events, at least in public settings, than girls (Eruyar et al, 2018).…”

“…Psychomorbidity including emotional problems, depression, anxiety and somatic symptoms are more prevalent in girls (Akiyama et al, 2013;Buchegger-Traxler & Sirsch, 2012;C ß eri & Nasiro glu, 2018;Nasıro glu et al, 2018;Oppedal, € Ozer, & S ßirin, 2018;Panter-Brick, Grimon, Kalin, & Eggerman, 2015;Vervliet, Lammertyn, Broekaert, & Derluyn, 2014). This is linked to such factors as 'non-productive' coping strategies (Cameron, Frydenberg, & Jackson, 2018), higher levels of…”

Predictors of employment status: A study of former refugee communities in Australia

“…Newly arrived refugees encounter a range of resettlement stressors, such as discrimination from the host society, inadequate proficiency in the local language, a lack of familiarity with the new setting, accommodation challenges, inadequate skills or unrecognised qualifications, and a change in the roles and family dynamics (Çlebi, Verkuyten, & Bagci, ; Poyrazli & Grahame, ). If these stressors are not managed adequately, then they can experience stress manifested by a sense of being rejected/discriminated by the host society; stigma, poor self‐esteem; intergenerational and interpersonal family conflict; language difficulties, and financial hardships due to unemployment and underemployment (Cameron, Frydenberg, & Jackson, ; Milner & Khawaja, ). As Berry (, p. 26) states, “when acculturation experiences cause problems for acculturating individuals, it results in the phenomenon of acculturative stress,” and several studies have looked at the acculturation challenges faced by refugees as part of settling into a new host culture (Colic‐Peisker & Tilbury, ; Hebbani & Colic‐Peisker, ).…”

“…Berry (1997, p. 6) describes acculturation as a process where newly arrived migrants interact with their host community and adapt to the culture, beliefs, traditions, and interaction style of this host community. However, adjusting to a new and different culture can be difficult and confusing (Berry, 1997;Cameron, Frydenberg, & Jackson, 2016;Colic-Peisker, 2009). Acculturation can be one-dimensional, where refugees assimilate by completely absorbing the host culture, or it can be bidimensional, where refugees retain their cultural strengths while also adopting the new culture (Sam & Berry, 2010).…”

Practitioner competencies for working with refugee children and young people: A scoping review

“…Three of the studies focused on refugee children under 18 years (Betancourt et al, 2012; Cameron et al, 2016; Dura-Vila et al, 2012), two studies focused on children and young people aged 12 to 25 (Posselt, Procter, de Crespigny, & Galletly, 2015; Posselt, Procter, Galletly, & de Crespigny, 2015), three studies focused on young people aged 18 to 25 (Choi, 2010; Colucci et al, 2017; Valibhoy et al, 2017), and one study did not clearly state the age of the refugee children, but referred to “children” throughout and was therefore included (Nilsson et al, 2012). Across the studies refugee children or young people came from varying countries or continents: Central and South America (Betancourt et al, 2012), Africa (Betancourt et al, 2012; Cameron et al, 2016; Dura-Vila et al, 2012; Nilsson et al, 2012; Posselt, Procter, de Crespigny, & Galletly, 2015; Posselt, Procter, Galletly, & de Crespigny, 2015; Valibhoy et al, 2017), Europe (Betancourt et al, 2012; Dura-Vila et al, 2012), Asia (Betancourt et al, 2012; Cameron et al, 2016; Posselt, Procter, de Crespigny, & Galletly, 2015; Posselt, Procter, Galletly, & de Crespigny, 2015), including North Korea (Choi, 2010) and the Middle East (Betancourt et al, 2012; Cameron et al, 2016; Dura-Vila et al, 2012; Posselt, Procter, de Crespigny, & Galletly, 2015; Posselt, Procter, Galletly, & de Crespigny, 2015), and two studies did not identify the background of participants (Colucci et al, 2017; Dura-Vila et al, 2012). Studies were conducted in four resettlement countries: Australia (Cameron et al, 2016; Colucci et al, 2017; Posselt, Procter, de Crespigny, & Galletly, 2015; Posselt, Procter, Galletly, & de Crespigny, 2015; Valibhoy et al, 2017), England (Dura-Vila et al, 2012), the United States (Betancourt et al, 2012; Nilsson et al, 2012), and South Korea (Choi, 2010).…”