Acculturation gaps among Afghan refugee families in Canada: Implications for family relationships, adaptation outcomes, and subjective wellbeing of emerging adults

Abstract

The present study applied and extended the Acculturation Gap-Distress Model to a sample of Afghan emerging adults and their parents living in Canada. Using two different methods to operationalize the “gap”, the impact of acculturation gaps on family relationships, adaptation outcomes, and subjective wellbeing of Afghan emerging adults was examined. Acculturation was evaluated concerning both Canadian and Afghan cultures, and independently for the language, identity, and behavioural domains of acculturation. The following three themes emerged in the results: a) Emerging adults’ proficiency in the Farsi language and higher identification with Afghan culture are important factors behind their family relationships, adaptation outcomes, and subjective wellbeing. b) Parents’ identification with the Canadian culture is an important factor behind emerging adults’ psychological adaptation and subjective wellbeing. c) The parent-emerging adult gap in Canadian identity acculturation was the only consequential gap associated with emerging adults’ lower reports of family cohesion.