Longing for a sense of belonging—Somali immigrant adolescents’ experiences of their acculturation efforts in Sweden

Abstract

Purpose: Research on Somali adolescent immigrants' interactions with their new society and school context is pertinent to more deeply understand changes in their practices, values, and identity resulting from continued first-hand contact with the Swedish culture, known as acculturation, as this process has been shown to affect mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate Somali immigrant adolescents' experiences of social inclusion and exclusion as well as their need for support in their efforts to acculturate into society and the school environment. Method: A qualitative explorative study was performed. Data were collected from six focus group discussions with 47 Somali immigrant adolescents living in Sweden. The data were analysed using thematic network analysis. Results: A global theme emerged from the analysis: longing for a sense of belonging. Two underpinning organising themes described the participants' longing for a sense of belonging to society and school: experience of social exclusion andpathways of inclusion and acculturation. Each organising theme consisted of three or four basic themes. Conclusion:This study highlights several key considerations on how schools can help adolescents who have recently immigrated to Sweden achieve a sense of belonging.

Schools’ and teachers’ roles and challenges in supporting the mental wellbeing of refugee youths: a qualitative study with Swedish teachers

“…Teachers in our study most strongly identified schools as promoting a sense of belonging among youths, and teachers described how feelings of belonging were supported through schools’ social environment and the physical spaces within the school. This is consistent with considerable prior evidence about the importance of a sense of belonging in schools on youths’ mental wellbeing (Fazel, 2015 ; Pastoor, 2017 ; Kia-Keating & Ellis, 2007 ; Osman et al, 2020 ; Şeker & Sirkeci, 2015 ; Thapa et al, 2013 ). Furthermore, previous work has similarly described how refugee youths’ engagement in social activities and informal socializing—opportunities that teachers in this study believe schools should provide—can facilitate social connections and foster belonging (Fazel, 2015 ; Pastoor, 2017 ).…”

“…Newcomer and native students were often described by teachers as socially separating themselves, which teachers believed reflected a lack of belonging for newcomers. Teachers described several challenges that might contribute to newcomers not feeling belonging including language and cultural barriers, perceived discrimination or lack of interest from the native students, or a lack of opportunity for interaction which is consistent with prior work (Pastoor, 2017 ; Osman et al, 2020 ; Şeker & Sirkeci, 2015 ). A similar lack of belonging has been reported among other refugee youths and is often characterized by experiences of bullying or discrimination (Correa-Velez et al, 2010 ; Guo et al, 2019 ; Hek, 2005 ).…”

“…This belief likely stems from the cultural importance placed on democracy within the Swedish macrosystem , and from the governmental exosystem which, through the Swedish Education Act (Ministry of Education & Research, 2016 ), mandates that “ … schools shall convey knowledge and values.” (p. 75) and, “[student’s] education shall also convey and entrench respect for human rights and the fundamental democratic values upon which Swedish society rests.” (p. 114). The desire to correct “misunderstandings” of democracy among students may also be rooted in an ethnocentric view that students’ cultures are not sufficiently democratic, consistent with prior literature (e.g., Guo et al, 2019 ; Osman et al, 2020 ; Thommessen & Todd, 2018 ).…”

“…Conversely, negative interactions with teachers are associated with negative outcomes for youth. Refugee youth in many studies internationally have perceived racism and prejudiced attitudes from teachers (Guo et al, 2019 ; Osman et al, 2020 ; Thommessen & Todd, 2018 ) and discriminatory teacher attitudes are associated with poorer student self-esteem, social competence, and academic achievement among immigrant youth (Oxman-Martinez & Choi, 2014 ), and poorer mental health outcomes (Montgomery & Foldspang, 2008 ; Fazel et al, 2012 ; Luthar et al, 2015 ). However, it should be noted that each refugee youth has a unique set of experiences and, while discrimination is immoral and has negative impacts for many, some individuals have reported feeling they had the power to challenge discriminatory attitudes and that these attitudes made them more motivated to succeed and achieve their goals (Thommessen & Todd, 2018 ).…”

The predicament of the child refugee – understanding health and wellbeing in the daily life of migrant children and young people

“…Fatumo Osman, Abdikerim Mohamed, Georgina Warner & Anna Sarkadi ( 2020 ) in their paper Longing for a sense of belonging—Somali immigrant adolescents’ experiences of their acculturation efforts in Sweden , study aspects that can be analyzed as either supporting or hindering the inclusion of this large group. The study highlights how the participants express a “longing for a sense of belonging” in society and in school and emphasize several key considerations, such as a more holistic, inclusive approach to the individual needs…”