Psychosocial adaptation of Turkish return migrants and factors affecting their intention to remigrate to Europe: Personality, perceived discrimination, ethnic identity

Abstract

The current study explores individual differences in the readaptation processes of Turkish return migrants from Western Europe, and investigates the roles that personality, satisfaction with life in the migration context, perceived discrimination, ethnic identity, and demographic variables play in the psychological and sociocultural adjustment of returnees. The factors predicting better psychological and sociocultural adaptation of returnees, and the factors causing them to have intention to remigrate to Europe, were scrutinized. The study involved 184 individuals, aged 15–72 years (M = 42), from three generations. Forty percent of returnees reported that they have intention to remigrate to Europe, this intention being predicted by host country ethnic identity and sense of belonging. Neuroticism, perceived discrimination and senses of belonging were found to be the main predictors of the psychosocial readaptation of Turkish migrants. The mediation analysis showed that psychological adaptation mediated the effect of sociocultural adaptation on the general wellbeing of return migrants. The results are discussed within the theories of acculturation.