The role of coping strategies in interpersonal identity development of war‐affected immigrant adolescents

Abstract

Increasing immigration around the world has affected the lives of children and adolescents. The ability to cope with the stress of migration and adaptation to a new culture likely is an important protective factor for optimal identity development under these conditions. The present study examined the role of coping strategies in interpersonal identity development among immigrant adolescents. The sample consisted of 93 (43% females) first-generation immigrant adolescents who migrated to Turkey due to war in their home countries. They have been living in the suburbs in Ankara and attending regular public schools. A two-wave longitudinal design was employed with a 4-month interval between waves. Identity development was measured using the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale focusing on the dimensions commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment in the domain of interpersonal relations. The coping strategies problem-solving, social support seeking, and avoidance were assessed with the Coping Strategies Scale. Results showed that none of the identity dimensions significantly predicted the use of specific coping strategies. However, different coping strategies predicted relative change in some identity dimensions. These results are discussed in light of previous findings on associations between identity development and coping strategies in different populations, and the difficulties associated with being an immigrant.

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).…”

“…The two empirical studies by Akgül et al (2021) and Karataş et al (2021) are conducted among vulnerable groups of migrants in the Middle East (i.e., Turkey). As the country that hosts about six million international migrants, mainly from other countries in the Middle East (i.e., Syria, Iraq) and Europe (i.e., Bulgaria, Germany, North Macedonia), Turkey has witnessed a sharp increase in immigration since 2010, caused especially by the political and economic turmoil in Syria.…”

“…Consequently, Turkey has become the nation that hosts the largest refugee population in the world (International Organization for Migration, 2020; United Nations, 2019). In their study, Akgül et al (2021) consider first-generation immigrant adolescents who migrated to Turkey due to war in their home countries (mainly Iraq and Syria) and live in the suburbs of the capital Ankara. By means of a two-wave longitudinal study, they highlight the protective role of coping strategies (especially social support seeking) for healthy identity formation in war-affected immigrant adolescents.…”

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 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).…”