Abstract
In response to appeals for empirical data on culture-specific differences and developmental pathways of acculturative stress among young migrants and refugees, the present study examines the cultural adjustment patterns of ethnically diverse migrants to Australia. Two hundred and seventy three primary and high school students (comprised of former-Yugoslavian and Chinese cultural groups) participated in this investigation. Participants completed self-report measures of acculturation, internalising symptoms, social support, self-concept/esteem, ethnic identity, and future outlook, and were compared by gender, school level, cultural group, heterorganic ethnicity, and residential duration variables. The main findings from this study indicate: (1) patterns of cultural adjustment differ for children and adolescents according to cultural background, gender, age, and length of stay in the host culture; (2) former-Yugoslavian migrants generally report greater identification and involvement with Australian cultural norms than Chinese migrant youth; and (3) the divergent variables social support and bicultural adjustment are not universally paired with acculturative stress, as previously indicated in other adult migrant and acculturation studies. Specific cross-cultural trends and differences are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Baker, A., & Shalhoub-Kevorkian, N. (1999). Effects of political and military traumas on children: The Palestinian case. Clinical Psychology Review, 19, 935-950.
Barrett, P. M., Moore, A. F., & Sonderegger, R. (2000). An anxiety prevention program for young former-Yugoslavian refugees in Australia: A pilot study. Behaviour Change, 17, 124-133.
Barrett, P. M., Sonderegger, R., & Sonderegger, N. L. (2001). Evaluation of an anxiety prevention and positive-coping program (FRIENDS) for children and adolescents of non-English speaking background. Behaviour Change, 18, 78-91.
Barrett, P. M., Sonderegger, R., & Xenos, S. (2003). Using FRIENDS to combat anxiety and adjustment problems among young migrants of Australia: A national trial. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 8, 241-260.
Beck, A. T., Weissman, A., Lester, D., & Trexler, I. (1974). The measurement of pessimism: The hopelessness scale. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 861-865.
Berry, J. W. (1998). Acculturation and health: Theory and research. In S. Kazarian & D. R. Evans (Eds.), Cultural clinical psychology (pp. 39-57). New York: Oxford University Press.
Berry, J. W. (1990). Psychology of acculturation: Understanding individuals moving between cultures. In R. W. Brislin (Ed.), Applied cross-cultural psychology (pp. 232-253). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Berry, J. W., Kim, U., Minde, T., & Mok, D. (1988). Comparative studies of acculturative stress. International Migration Review, 21, 491-511.
Briere, J. N. (1996). Trauma symptom checklist for children: Professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Butcher, J. N., Nezami, E., & Exner, J. (1998). Psychological assessment of people in diverse cultures. In S. Kazarian & D. R. Evans (Eds.), Cultural clinical psychology (pp. 61-105). New York: Oxford University Press.
Cederbald, M., Höök, B., Irhammar, M., & Mercke, A. M. (1999). Mental health in international adoptees as teenagers and young adults: An epidemiological study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 1239-1248.
Coopersmith, S. (1981), Coopersmith Inventory: School form. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Durbow, E. F., & Ullman, D. G. (1989). Assessing social support in elementary school children. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 5, 309-312.
Greene, G. J., Jensen, C., Jones, D. H. (1996). A constructivist perspective on clinical social work practice with ethnically diverse clients. Social Work, 41, 172-180.
Kazdin, A. E., Rodgers, A., & Colbus, D. (1986). The Hopelessness Scale for Children: Psychometric characteristics and concurrent validity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 241-245.
Marsh, H. W. (1988). Self Description Questionnaire-I. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation-Harcourt Brace Jovanich.
Marsh, H. W. (1990). Self Description Questionnaire-II. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation-Harcourt Brace Jovanich.
Pawliuk, N., Grizenko, N., Chan-Yip, A., Gantous, P., Matthew, J., & Nguyen, D. (1996). Acculturation style and psychological functioning in children of immigrants. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 66, 111-121.
Phinney, J. S. (1992). The Muligroup Ethnic Identity Measure: A new scale for use with diverse groups. Journal of Adolescent Research, 7, 156-176.
Pinderhughes, E. (1989). Understanding race, ethnicity, and power: The key to efficacy in clinical practice. New York: Free Press.
Ponterotto, J. G., Baluch, S., & Carielli, D. (1998). The Suinn-Lew Asian self-identity acculturation scale (SL-ASIA): Critique and research recommendations. Measurement and Evaluation in Counselling and Development, 31, 109-124.
Reynolds, C. R., & Richmond, B. O. (1985). Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
Ritsner, M., & Ponizovsky, A. (1999). Psychological distress through immigration: The two-phase temporal pattern? International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 45, 125-139.
Roberts, C. M., & Schnieder, W. (1999). Self-concept and anxiety in immigrant children. International Journal of Behavioural Development, 23, 125-147.
Rosenberg, M. (1989). Society and the adolescent self-image (Rev. ed.). Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press.
Szapocznik, J., Kurtines, W. M., & Fernandez, T. (1990). Bicultural Involvement and adjustment in Hispanic-American youths. International Journal of Intercultural relations, 4, 353-365.
Tam, M. (2002). Goal Achieved, Time to retreat: Duty and Autonomy among Hong Kong's “Astronaut” women. In Griffith University School of Public Health, International handbook on middle-class Chinese migrants in Australia: Settlement, needs and dilemmas. Brisbane, QLD: Griffith Asia Pacific Council.
Treadwell, K. R., Flannery-Schroeder, E. C., & Kendall, P. C. (1995). Ethnicity and gender in relation to adaptive functioning, diagnostic status, and treatment outcome in children from an anxiety clinic. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 9, 373-384.
Vaux, A., Phillips, J., Holly, L., Thompson, B., Williams, D., & Stewart, D. (1986). The Social Support Appraisals Scale: Studies of Reliability and validity. American Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 195-219.
Winter, K. A., & Young, M. Y. (1998). Biopsychosocial considerations in refugee mental health. In S. Kazarian & D. R. Evans (Eds.), Cultural clinical psychology (pp. 348-376). New York: Oxford University Press.
Yule, W. (1989). The effects of disasters on children. Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Newsletter, 11, 3-6.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sonderegger, R., Barrett, P.M. Patterns of Cultural Adjustment Among Young Migrants to Australia. Journal of Child and Family Studies 13, 341–356 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JCFS.0000022039.00578.51
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JCFS.0000022039.00578.51