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Forced migration and resettlement: Its impact on families and individuals

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Abstract

An increasing number of families are forced to migrate as a result of political turmoil, civil wars, and “ethnic cleansing”. This paper describes the impact of forced migration on individuals and their families. We suggest that forced migrants reject the new culture while their children are likely to embrace it. This discrepancy between the “old” values of the migrants and the values to the new culture espoused by their children is a frequent source of intrafamilial tension. We also describe a second acculturation process that takes place when forced migrants return to their country of origin. Families who migrate back to the country of origin realize, often to their surprise, that both they and their country of origin have changed significantly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. faculty, Department of Psychiatry, University of Chile School of Medicine (Sede Oriente), Santiago, Chile

    Arturo Roizblatt MD

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

    Daniel Pilowsky MD (assistant professor)

Authors
  1. Arturo Roizblatt MD
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  2. Daniel Pilowsky MD
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Roizblatt, A., Pilowsky, D. Forced migration and resettlement: Its impact on families and individuals. Contemp Fam Ther 18, 513–521 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02195714

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02195714

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