Immigrant Youth in Germany

Abstract

This paper reviews research on young migrants in Germany. Particular attention is given to the question of how Germany’s history of migration, immigration policies, and public attitude toward migrants influence the transcultural adaptation of children and adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds. We combine past research with the results of new empirical studies in order to shed light on migrants’ psychological and sociocultural adaptation. Studies comparing young migrants and their German peers in terms of psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health outcome suggest higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems among migrants of most age groups. With regard to adolescent populations between the ages of 14 and 17 years, however, the existence of differences between migrants and natives appears to be less clear. Research has also yielded inconsistent findings regarding the time trajectory of transcultural adaptation among adolescents. The coincidence of acculturation and age-related change is discussed as a possible source of these inconsistencies. Further, we provide an overview of risk and protective factors such as conflicting role expectations and ethnic discrimination, which may cause heightened vulnerability to adverse adaptation outcomes in some groups. Large-scale studies have repeatedly shown migrants of all age groups to be less successful within the German school system, indicating poor sociocultural adaptation. Possible explanations, such as the idiosyncrasies of the German school system, are presented. Our own studies contribute to the understanding of young migrants’ adaptation process by showing that it is their orientation to German culture, rather than the acculturation strategy of integration, that leads to the most positive psychological and sociocultural outcomes. The paper concludes by discussing implications for future cross-cultural research on young migrants and by suggesting recommendations for multicultural policies.

Intersectionality and Youth Identity Development Research in Europe

“…In continental European countries with longer colonialist pasts, such as the Netherlands and France, the centuries of oppression, domination, and dehumanization inherent in these histories, as well as their impact on present policies and narratives, tend to remain invisible in research on identity development. Although the impact of discrimination on adolescent development has been examined by European psychologists for many years (e.g., Verkuyten and Thijs, 2006;Fleischmann et al, 2011;Frankenberg et al, 2013), the ongoing legacy of colonialism tends to go unmentioned. This is not the case in other fields, as postcolonial theory has been developed and applied in diverse settings across Europe for decades.…”

Reaping the benefits of cultural diversity: Classroom cultural diversity climate and students’ intercultural competence

“…Thus, these students are in the minority in the society. They are more likely to experience discrimination (Frankenberg, Kupper, Wagner, & Bongard, 2013) and typically have lower socioeconomic status than students of non-immigrant background (Kristen & Granato, 2007). If for them intercultural interactions are marked by status differences and experiences of discrimination, it is less likely that they will lead to the development of CQ, because conflict can hinder positive intercultural learning outcomes (Correll et al, 2008).…”

Acculturation in Context: The Moderating Effects of Immigrant and Native Peer Orientations on the Acculturation Experiences of Immigrants

“…These findings show that an out-group orientation can help in the adaptation of Aussiedler in Germany, a result that is in line with research on Turkish-origin youth in Germany. According to a recent review, a high outgroup orientation was most predictive of the successful adaptation of Turkish-origin youth in Germany (Frankenberg et al 2013). This implies that the positive attitudes of immigrants toward the majority help in dealing with the demands of acculturation and should be promoted-at least in the German context studied here.…”

“…We assume, however, similar individual-by-context associations for other ethnic groups. The effects may even be stronger for Turkish adolescents, the second largest immigrant group in Germany, as research suggests that Turkish youth are more strongly affected by peer norms than other ethnic groups (Jugert et al 2013), and because the attitudes of German natives toward Turkish immigrants are assumed to be particularly negative (Frankenberg et al 2013). Only comparative research can address such issues of generalizability, but is still rare.…”