Do Parental and Peer Support Protect Adjustment in the Face of Ethnic Discrimination? A Comparison between Refugee Youth and Youth of Immigrant Descent.

Julia Marie Christina Wenzing,Nadya Gharaei,Maja Katharina Schachner,Zeynep Demir

doi:10.3390/ijerph182212016

Abstract

Applying a risk and protection perspective, this study paid special attention to the protective roles of parental and peer support in the face of perceived ethnic discrimination (PED) at school. Responding to the inconsistent findings of previous research, the survey study provides greater clarity regarding the interactions between PED at school, social support and positive adjustment (self-esteem, self-efficacy, optimism and school integration). The sample comprised 104 ethnic-minority youth (Mage = 17.73, SD = 3.29, 61% female), including refugee youth (n = 55) and second- and third-generation youth of immigrant descent (n = 49). Structural equation models across the whole sample confirmed peer support as a significant moderator, indicating that ethnic-minority youth who received low peer support were less optimistic when facing PED. In multi-group models, we tested whether results differ across refugee youth and youth of immigrant descent. Results revealed between-group differences concerning the moderating roles of parental and peer support: For youth of immigrant descent, while more PED was associated with lower self-esteem when receiving low parental support, we found a positive association between PED and optimism when receiving high parental support. Based on the findings that refugee youth were shown to be less optimistic when obtaining low peer support, the main interaction effect for peer support on optimism seemed to be driven by refugee youth. The results of our cross-sectional study highlight the importance of identifying specific social support factors for specific adjustment outcomes and also the importance of differentiating between minority groups. Further, the findings offer practical implications for the educational sector in terms of programs focusing on the development of peer-support networks to especially promote refugee youth resilience and resettlement in Germany.

Highlights

European societies are heavily characterized by migration and cultural diversity.In 2015, more than 240 million international migrants were recorded, approximating3.3% of the world’s population
We focused on perceived ethnic discrimination (PED) as a major acculturative hassle which has been found in several studies to have detrimental consequences for the adjustment of ethnic-minority youth [12,13,14]
We explore the role of PED at school by teachers and peers on ethnic-minority youth positive adjustment while considering peer and parental support as possible protective factors

Summary

Introduction

European societies are heavily characterized by migration and cultural diversity.In 2015, more than 240 million international migrants were recorded, approximating3.3% of the world’s population. In 2015, more than 240 million international migrants were recorded, approximating. From 2015 to 2017, Europe and Germany have witnessed the largest immigration movement in their recent recorded history [1]. According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees [2], approximately 500,000 asylum applications were submitted in Germany in 2015. Almost a third of these applications were submitted by youth under the age of 20 [2]. Youth of immigrant descent represent a large proportion of Germany’s population. They are defined as those who have at least one foreign-born parent or grandparent and either have been born outside (first generation) or within (second and third generation) Germany [3]. As the Federal Government Expert Commission [4] has recommended to use the term “immigrants and their

Results

Discussion

Conclusion