Making Sense of Complexity in Refugee Family Systems: Second-Generation Somali and Hmong Refugee Adults’ Reflections on Their Relationships with Their First-Generation Refugee Parents

Abstract

ABSTRACT The current study aimed to understand the relationships of 2nd generation (2G) refugees during their formative years with their 1st generation (1G) parents. We used a phenomenological approach to conduct individual interviews with six 2G refugees (three Hmong-Americans and three Somali-Americans) in the U.S. who fit the study’s inclusion criterion of being affected by their parents’ migration trauma. Themes emerging from participants’ narratives describe 1) 2G Refugee Relationship Quality with 1G Refugee Parents; 2) Integrating All Dimensions of 2G Intersectional Identities; 3) 2G Resiliency Resources; and 4) Moving Forward. The current study’s findings suggest ways that intergenerational trauma affected 2G refugees’ relationships with their parents and added layers of complexity to the normative challenges of adolescent development. Researchers are encouraged to employ a family system lens to consider the effects of migration trauma across generations when examining relationship dynamics in refugee families. It is important for clinicians to consider the systemic impacts of refugee stress and trauma when working with refugee adolescents and their families.