Children’s influence on wellbeing and acculturative stress in refugee families

Disa Bergnehr

doi:10.1080/17482631.2018.1564517

Abstract

ABSTRACTPurpose: This paper examines intergenerational, interdependent and contextual aspects of wellbeing and acculturative stress in refugee families during resettlement. Particular focus is placed on how children influence their parents. Method: The study is based on interviews with and diary notes from Middle Eastern parents and children residing in Sweden. Results: Analyzes of the narratives show how the direct and indirect influence of the child affects the parents in both negative and positive ways. Acculturative stress follows from unexpected and undesired migration outcomes, such as parent–child conflicts and low school achievement. Such strains add to other hardships refugee families face, for instance, unemployment, welfare dependence, poor housing, and insufficient mastery of the majority language. However, acculturative stress can be alleviated by the children’s educational success, and reciprocal practices of love and caring including helping out with chores and supporting each other in different ways. Conclusions: Children's agency has significant effects on parents’ wellbeing, as wellbeing is accomplished in and through relationships with others.

Highlights

During the past two decades, Swedish society has received a substantial number of immigrants, many of them refugees
The purpose of this study is to explore the intergenerational interdependence of wellbeing and acculturative stress in refugee families during resettlement, with particular focus on how children influence their parents
The outline of the results section is based on the two analytical themes: unfavourable influence and favourable influence—conceptualized as interdependent acculturative stress and reciprocal wellbeing, respectively

Summary

Introduction

During the past two decades, Swedish society has received a substantial number of immigrants, many of them refugees. Immigrant families have to adjust to the new societal context and the challenges that migration often entails. They may have to adapt their family life to new cultural ideas (Bergnehr, 2016; Kim, Conway-Turner, Serif-Trask, & Woolfolk, 2006; Liamputtong, 2006; Wu, 2011). Parents’ desire to maintain traditions of their origin may conflict with the child’s desire to acquire the values of the new context (Berry, 2007; Kuczynski, Navara, & Boiger, 2011), and there is a risk that severe strains in the family will evolve into psychological problems for the parent as well as the child (Awad et al., 2013). The challenges associated with resettlement in a new country can lead to “acculturation stress” (Berry, 2007, p. 74), that is, stressors caused by experiences due to migration, and manifested by health issues such as anxiety, uncertainty and depression

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Conclusion