Mental health outcomes of ethnic identity and acculturation among British‐born children of immigrants from Turkey

Abstract

Identity development can be challenging for adolescents, particularly those from immigrant families who are required to make sense of their identity whilst accommodating themselves into different cultures. For second-generation ethnic minority adolescents, these identity formation processes may range from harmony/effectiveness to conflict/ stress, having consequences for acculturation and for mental health. Focusing on an underexplored area of research, the present study aimed to examine the relationships between ethnic identity, acculturation orientations, and mental health outcomes among second-generation Turkish adolescents (16-18 years old) in England. Data were collected using a self-report survey (N = 220) and analyzed using structural equation modelling. Results demonstrated that ethnic identity was positively associated with positive mental health and that each ethnic identity component (exploration, resolution, affirmation) was differently associated with life satisfaction, self-esteem, psychological well-being, and depression. Ethnic identity was also positively related to separation and negatively to marginalization whilst no relationships were observed between integration, separation or marginalization, and mental health. Mediation analysis determined that ethnic identity was negatively associated with assimilation and in turn, more positive mental health. Findings demonstrate the complexity of understanding the nature and effects of ethnic identity for second-generation adolescents

The impact of migration on child and adolescent development: Diversity in migration pathways and experiences

“…The next set of articles focus on migration in the European context. The study by Cavdar et al (2021) nicely complements the previous studies conducted on immigrants in Turkey (Akgül et al, 2021;Karataş et al, 2021) by tackling factors that affect the mental health of British-born children of Turkish descent. In particular, the authors document that ethnic identity (examined as a global construct but also looking at distinct components, such as exploration, ethnic resolution, and affirmation) promotes mental health (also examined by considering a multiplicity of indicators).…”

Migrant youths: Typical aspects of development during the adolescent years, specific challenges of growing up somewhere else, and some things we need to understand better

“…By the same token, the former home countries or contexts of heritage of the adolescents who participated in the studies presented in this Issue vary widely and, thus, the reasons that resulted in migration. Refugees who left other Middle East countries such as Syria and Iraq because of armed conflicts and civil war (e.g., Akgül et al, 2021;Karataş et al, 2021) are represented as are young people who escaped from gang violence and crime in Central America (e.g., Patel et al, 2021), or the offspring of Turkish families who migrated to the UK hoping for more favorable economic and occupational opportunities in Northern Europe (Cavdar et al, 2021). Different again is the case of within-country migration as addressed in a study of sons and daughters of migrant workers who left their homes in rural China to make their living in a large Chinese city (Wang et al, 2021).…”

“…It is predictive of well-being and mental health. Interestingly only one study in this Issue (Cavdar et al, 2021) included measures of ethnic identity in the assessments (for Yan et al, 2021 see below). Drawing on conceptualizations introduced by Umaña-Taylor, Yazedjian, and Bámaca-Gómez ( 2004), the authors not only considered exploration and commitment dimensions in their study but also the dimension of affirmation that captures the (positive or negative) meaning or content of ethnic identity.…”

“…It is a particular merit of this Issue to have brought together studies that shed light on the many and varied conditions of development of adolescents who experienced migration themselves or are children of migrant parents. The different host contexts where this research has been conducted are a case in point including countries such as the United States (Patel et al 2021;Yan et al, 2021), Chile (Chávez et al, 2021), Sweden (Gyberg, Svensson, Wängqvist, & Syed, 2021), the UK (Cavdar, McKeown, & Rose, 2021), Germany, Israel (Benbow, Aumann, Paizan, & Titzmann, 2021), Turkey (Akgül, Klimstra, & Çok, 2021;Karataş, Crocetti, Schwartz, & Rubini, 2021), and China (Wang, Chen, & Gong, 2021).…”

“…Different again is the case of within-country migration as addressed in a study of sons and daughters of migrant workers who left their homes in rural China to make their living in a large Chinese city (Wang et al, 2021). While the majority of studies in this Issue focuses on young people who experienced migration themselves, some also shed light on the situation of the second generation (e.g., Cavdar et al, 2021;Gyberg et al, 2021).…”