Top

Gepubliceerd in:

06-05-2016 | Original Paper

Made in America: Perspectives on Friendship in West African Immigrant Families

Auteurs: Adeyinka M. Akinsulure-Smith, Sheena Mirpuri, Tracy Chu, Eva Keatley, Andrew Rasmussen

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Child and Family Studies | Uitgave 9/2016

Abstract

This qualitative study compared West African immigrant parents’ and adolescents’ perspectives on parental monitoring of adolescents’ peer groups. Parents (n = 31) and adolescent children (n = 25) were interviewed using focus groups and individual interviews, and data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Parents expressed a general concern about external influences on their children, particularly their mistrust of their children’s friends. Adolescents reported that they were aware of their parents’ fears and described their attempts to manage their parents’ concerns while simultaneously maintaining friendships with same-ethnic and other-ethnic peers. This study offers both parent and adolescent perspectives in an effort to better understand adolescents’ peer socialization and parental monitoring among West African immigrant families, one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the United States. Recommendations for mental health professions are discussed.

vorige artikel The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 Among a School Sample of Portuguese Male and Female Adolescents

volgende artikel When a Non-resident Worker is a Non-resident Parent: Investigating the Family Impact of Fly-In, Fly-Out Work Practices in Australia

Akinsulure-Smith, A. M. (2012). Using group work to rebuild family and community ties among displaced African men. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 37(2), 95–112. doi:10.1080/01933922.2011.646086.CrossRef

Akinsulure-Smith, A. M. (2016). Resilience in the face of adversity: African immigrants’ mental health needs and the American transition (manuscript in preparation).

Akinsulure-Smith, A. M., Ghiglione, J., & Wollmershauser, C. (2009). Healing in the midst of chaos: Nah We Yone’s African women’s wellness group. Women & Therapy, 32, 105–120. doi:10.1080/02703140802384602.CrossRef

Akinsulure-Smith, A. M., Jones, W. L., & Dachos, N. (2013). Nah We Yone’s De Fambul Camp: Facilitating resilience in displaced African children. Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, 11(3), 221–240. doi:10.1080/15562948.2013.801721.CrossRef

Arnett, J. J. (2007). Emerging adulthood: What is it, and what is it good for? Child Development Perspectives, 1(2), 68–73. doi:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2007.00016.x.CrossRef

Bankston, C. L., & Zhou, M. (2002). Social capital and immigrant children’s achievement. Schooling and Social Capital in Diverse Cultures, 13, 13–39. doi:10.1108/S1479-3539(2002)0000013002.CrossRef

Barber, B. K. (1996). Parental psychological control: Revisiting a neglected construct. Child Development, 67(6), 3296–3319. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1996.tb01915.x.CrossRefPubMed

Bayat, M. (2015). Addressing challenging behaviors and mental health issues in early childhood. London: Routledge.

Bernal, G., & Sáez-Santiago, E. (2006). Culturally centered psychosocial interventions. Journal of Community Psychology, 34(2), 121–132. doi:10.1002/jcop.20096.CrossRef

Berndt, T. J. (1979). Developmental changes in conformity to peers and parents. Developmental Psychology, 15(6), 608–616. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.15.6.608.CrossRef

Betancourt, T. S., Abdi, S., Ito, B. S., Lilienthal, G. M., Agalab, N., & Ellis, H. (2015). We left one war and came to another: Resource loss, acculturative stress, and caregiver–child relationships in Somali refugee families. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 21(1), 114–125.CrossRefPubMed

Bledsoe, C. H., & Sow, P. (2011). Back to Africa: Second chances for the children of West African immigrants. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73(4), 747–762. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2011.00843.x.CrossRef

Capps, R., McCabe, K., & Fix, M. (2011). New streams: Black African migration to the United States. Washington DC: Migration Policy Institute.

Charlés, L. L. (2009). Home-based family therapy: An illustration of clinical work with a Liberian refugee. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 28, 36–51.CrossRef

Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Choi, Y., He, M., & Harachi, T. W. (2008). Intergenerational cultural dissonance, parent–child conflict and bonding, and youth problem behaviors among Vietnamese and Cambodian immigrant families. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37(1), 85–96. doi:10.1007/s10964-007-9217-z.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Coe, C. (2008). The structuring of feeling in Ghanaian transnational families. City & Society, 20(2), 222–250. doi:10.1111/j.1548-744X.2008.00018.x.CrossRef

Coe, C. (2011a). Child fostering in Ghanaian immigrant families: A measure of child well-being. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute.

Coe, C. (2011b). What is the impact of transnational migration on family life? Women’s comparisons of internal and international migration in a small town in Ghana. American Ethnologist, 38(1), 148–163. doi:10.1111/j.1548-1425.2010.01298.x.CrossRef

Collins, W. A., Laursen, B., Mortensen, N., Luebker, C., & Ferreira, M. (1997). Conflict processes and transitions in parent and peer relationships: Implications for autonomy and regulation. Journal of Adolescent Research, 12, 178–198.CrossRef

Crosnoe, R. (2004). Social capital and the interplay of families and schools. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66(2), 267–280. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2004.00019.x.CrossRef

Dike, V. (2004). African parents: The dilemma of raising their children in Diaspora. Retrieved from http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/victor-dike/african-parents-the-dilemma-of-raising-their-children-in-diaspora.html.

Dishion, T. J., Nelson, S. E., & Bullock, B. M. (2004). Premature adolescent autonomy: Parent disengagement and deviant peer process in the amplification of problem behaviour. Journal of Adolescence, 27(5), 515–530. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2004.06.005.CrossRefPubMed

Drachman, D. (1995). Immigration statutes and their influence on service provision, access, and use. Social Work, 40(2), 188–197.

Eaton, L., & Louw, J. (2000). Culture and SELF in South Africa: Individualism-collectivism predictions. Journal of Social Psychology, 140(2), 210–217.CrossRefPubMed

Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company Inc.

Espinoza, G., Gillen-O’Neel, C., Gonzales, N., & Fuligni, A. (2014). Friend affiliations and school adjustment among Mexican-American adolescents: The moderating role of peer and parent support. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(12), 1969–1981. doi:10.1007/s10964-013-0023-5.CrossRefPubMed

Fazel, S., Singh, J. P., Doll, H., & Grann, M. (2012). Use of risk assessment instruments to predict violence and antisocial behaviour in 73 samples involving 24,827 people: Systematic review and meta-analysis. British Medical Journal, 345, 1–12. doi:10.1136/bmj.e4692.CrossRef

Fuligni, A. J. (1998). Authority, autonomy, and parent–adolescent conflict and cohesion: A study of adolescents from Mexican, Chinese, Filipino, and European backgrounds. Developmental Psychology, 34(4), 782–792. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.34.4.782.CrossRefPubMed

Fuligni, A. J., & Eccles, J. S. (1993). Perceived parent–child relationships and early adolescents’ orientation toward peers. Developmental Psychology, 29(4), 622–632. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.29.4.622.CrossRef

Jackson, M. (2012). Parenting behavior, health, and cognitive development among children in Black immigrant families: Comparing the United States and the United Kingdom. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved from http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/CBI-parenting-health-cognitive-development.

Keijsers, L., & Poulin, F. (2013). Developmental changes in parent–child communication throughout adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 49(12), 2301–2308. doi:10.1037/a0032217.CrossRefPubMed

Kent, M. M. (2007). Immigration and America’s Black population. Population Bulletin, 62(4). Retrieved from http://69.63.135.52/pdf07/62.4immigration.pdf.

Lim, S., Yeh, M., Liang, J., Lau, A. S., & McCabe, K. (2009). Acculturation gap, intergenerational conflict, parenting style, and youth distress in immigrant Chinese American families. Marriage & Family Review, 45(1), 84–106. doi:10.1080/01494920802537530.CrossRef

Logan, J. R., & Deane, G. (2003). Black diversity in metropolitan America. New York: Lewis Mumford Center for Comparative Urban and Regional Research, University at Albany.

Louie, V. (2001). Parents’ aspirations and investment: The role of social class in the educational experiences of 1.5- and second-generation Chinese Americans. Harvard Educational Review, 71(3), 438–474.CrossRef

Mann, M. A. (2004). Immigrant parents and their emigrant adolescents: The tension of inner and outer worlds. The American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 64(2), 143–153. doi:10.1023/B:TAJP.0000027269.37516.16.CrossRefPubMed

McCabe, K. (2011). African immigrants in the United States. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved from http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?ID=847.

McNeely, C., & Blanchard, J. (2010). The teen years explained: A guide to healthy adolescent development. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University.

Montemayor, R. (1982). The relationship between parent–adolescent conflict and the amount of time adolescents spend alone and with parents and peers. Child Development, 53(6), 1512–1519. doi:10.2307/1130078.CrossRef

Muhr, T. (2004). User’s Manual for ATLAS.ti 5.0. Berlin: ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH.

Nguyen, P. V. (2008). Perceptions of Vietnamese fathers’ acculturation levels, parenting styles, and mental health outcomes in Vietnamese American adolescent immigrants. Social Work, 53(4), 337–346.CrossRefPubMed

Nwosu, C., Batalova, J., & Auclair, G. (2014). Frequently requested statistics on immigrants and immigration in the United States. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved from http://discuss.ilw.com/content.php?3080-Article-Frequently-Requested-Statistics-on-Immigrants-and-Immigration-in-the-United-States-By-Chiamaka-Nwosu-Jeanne-Batalova-and-Gregory-Auclair.

Obiakor, F. E., & Afoláyan, M. O. (2007). African immigrant families in the United States: Surviving the sociocultural tide. The Family Journal, 15(3), 265–270. doi:10.1177/1066480707301425.CrossRef

Ochocka, J., & Janzen, R. (2008). Immigrant parenting: A new framework of understanding. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 6(1), 85–111.CrossRef

Okitikpi, T., & Aymer, C. (2003). Social work with African refugee children and their families. Child & Family Social Work, 8(3), 213–222.CrossRef

Pawliuk, N., Grizenko, N., Chan-Yip, A., Gantous, P., Mathew, J., & Nguyen, D. (1996). Acculturation style and psychological functioning in children of immigrants. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 66(1), 111.CrossRefPubMed

Perreira, K. M., Chapman, M. V., & Livas-Stein, G. (2006). Becoming an American parent: Overcoming challenges and finding strength in a new immigrant Latino community. Journal of Family Issues, 27(10), 1383–1414. doi:10.1177/0192513X06290041.CrossRef

Pottinger, A. M., & Brown, W. (2006). Understanding the impact of parental migration on children: Implications for counseling families from the Caribbean. Retrieved from http://counselingoutfitters.com/Pottinger.htm.

Rasmussen, A., Akinsulure-Smith, A. M., Chu, T., & Keatley, E. (2012). “911” among West African immigrants in New York City: A qualitative study of parents’ disciplinary practices and their perceptions of child welfare authorities. Social Science and Medicine, 75, 516–525. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.03.042.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Renzaho, A. N., Green, J., Mellor, D., & Swinburn, B. (2011). Parenting, family functioning and lifestyle in a new culture: The case of African migrants in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Child & Family Social Work, 16(2), 228–240. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2010.00736.x.CrossRef

Renzaho, A. N., & Vignjevic, S. (2011). The impact of a parenting intervention in Australia among migrants and refugees from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Congo, and Burundi: Results from the African migrant parenting program. Journal of Family Studies, 17(1), 71–79. doi:10.5172/jfs.2011.17.1.71.CrossRef

Reynolds, T. (2006). Caribbean families, social capital and young people’s diasporic identities. Ethnic & Racial Studies, 29(6), 1087–1103.CrossRef

Roopnarine, J. L., Krishnakumar, A., Metindogan, A., & Evans, M. (2006). Links between parenting styles, parent–child academic interaction, parent–school interaction, and early academic skills and social behaviors in young children of English-speaking Caribbean immigrants. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21(2), 238–252. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2006.04.007.CrossRef

Sabatier, C., & Berry, J. W. (2008). The role of family acculturation, parental style, and perceived discrimination in the adaptation of second-generation immigrant youth in France and Canada. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 5(2), 159–185. doi:10.1080/17405620701608739.CrossRef

Santrock, J. W. (1996). Adolescence: An introduction. Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark Publishers.

Schofield, T. J., Parke, R. D., Kim, Y., & Coltrane, S. (2008). Bridging the acculturation gap: Parent–child relationship quality as a moderator in Mexican American families. Developmental Psychology, 44(4), 1190–1194. doi:10.1037/a0012529.CrossRefPubMed

Shields, M. K., & Behrman, R. E. (2004). Children of immigrant families: Analysis and recommendations. The Future of Children, 14(2), 4–15. doi:10.2307/1602791.CrossRefPubMed

Smetana, J. G. (2000). Middle-class African American adolescents’ and parents’ conceptions of parental authority and parenting practices: A longitudinal investigation. Child Development, 71(6), 1672–1686. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00257.CrossRefPubMed

Smith, H. E. (2003). Despair, resilience, and the meaning of family: Group therapy with French-speaking African survivors of torture. In B. C. Wallace & R. T. Carter (Eds.), Understanding and dealing with violence: A multicultural approach (Winter roundtable series) (pp. 291–316). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.CrossRef

Steinberg, L. (2001). We know some things: Parent–adolescent relationships in retrospect and prospect. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 11(1), 1–19. doi:10.1111/1532-7795.00001.CrossRef

Suárez-Orozco, C., & Carhill, A. (2008). Afterword: New directions in research with immigrant families and their children. In H. Yoshikawa & N. Way (Eds.), Beyond the family: Contexts of immigrant children’s development. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 121, 87–104.

Sveaass, N., & Reichelt, S. (2001). Engaging refugee families in therapy: Exploring the benefits of including referring professionals in first family interviews. Family Process, 40(1), 95–114. doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.2001.4010100095.x.CrossRefPubMed

Szapocznik, J., & Kurtines, W. M. (1993). Family psychology and cultural diversity: Opportunities for theory, research, and application. American Psychologist, 48(4), 400.CrossRef

Traoré, R., & Lukens, R. J. (2006). This isn’t the America I thought I’d find: African students in the urban US high school. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

Triandis, H. C. (1989). The self and social behavior in differing cultural contexts. Psychological Review, 96(3), 506.CrossRef

Van der Giessen, D., Branje, S., & Meeus, W. (2014). Perceived autonomy support from parents and best friends: Longitudinal associations with adolescents’ depressive symptoms. Social Development, 23(3), 537–555. doi:10.1111/sode.12061.CrossRef

Vaughn, L. M., & Holloway, M. (2010). West African immigrant families from Mauritania and Senegal in Cincinnati: A cultural primer on children’s health. Journal of Community Health, 35(1), 27–35.CrossRefPubMed

Waters, M. C. (1994). Ethnic and racial identities of second-generation black immigrants in New York City. International Migration Review, 28(4), 795–820. doi:10.2307/2547158.CrossRef

Waters, M. C. (2001). Black Identities: West Indian immigrant dreams and American realities. New York, NY and Cambridge, MA: Russell Sage Foundation and Harvard University Press.

Yenika-Agbaw, V. (2009). African child rearing in the diaspora: A mother’s perspective. The Journal of Pan African Studies, 3(4), 55–109.

Zhang, S. Y., & Carrasquillo, A. L. (1995). Chinese parents’ influence on academic performance. New York State Association for Bilingual Education Journal, 10, 46–53.

Zhou, M. (1997). Segmented assimilation: Issues, controversies, and recent research on the new second generation. International Migration Review, 975–1008. doi:10.2307/2547421.

Zhou, M., & Bankston, C. L, I. I. I. (2001). Family pressure and the educational experience of the daughters of Vietnamese refugees. International Migration, 39(4), 133–151. doi:10.1111/1468-2435.00165.CrossRef

Titel: Made in America: Perspectives on Friendship in West African Immigrant Families
Auteurs: Adeyinka M. Akinsulure-Smith
Sheena Mirpuri
Tracy Chu
Eva Keatley
Andrew Rasmussen
Publicatiedatum: 06-05-2016
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Child and Family Studies / Uitgave 9/2016
Print ISSN: 1062-1024
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-2843
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0431-8

Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Deel dit onderdeel of sectie (kopieer de link)

Abstract

Log in om toegang te krijgen

Andere artikelen Uitgave 9/2016

When a Non-resident Worker is a Non-resident Parent: Investigating the Family Impact of Fly-In, Fly-Out Work Practices in Australia

Erratum to: Dimensions of Maternal Self-Concept at Three Stages of Motherhood

Mental Health Services in Juvenile Correctional Facilities: A National Survey of Clinical Staff

The Role of Anger in the Relationship Between Internalising Symptoms and Aggression in Adolescents

Mother–Daughter Relationship Quality and Body Image in Preadolescent Girls

Asian Indian Mothers’ Emotion Socialization and Child Emotion Expression as a Function of Situational Context