Ethnic and social identity of adolescents in the context of migration

Context and relevance. In the context of migration social adaptation assumes simultaneous active inclusion in at least two socio-cultural contexts: of a native and of a host country. This situation inevitably leads to changes in behavior and to the transformations in beliefs, values, and the identity system of a person. 
Objective. To identify the special features, and to analyze the problems of social and ethnic identity formation among migrant adolescents.
Hypotheses. Adolescents from migrant families experience significant difficulties in adaptation in the new socio-cultural environment. The specific social situation of development, i.e. multicultural conditions of socialization, becomes the cause of negative transformations in the ethnic and the personal identity of migrant adolescents.
Methods and materials. The study involved 74 adolescents: 36 girls and 38 boys, aged 12 to 17 years (average age – 15,13). 39 Russian-speaking teenagers were from migrant families from the CIS countries who had been living abroad for more than a year (an average of 3,7 years), they studied in Istanbul in Russian schools in multinational classes. 35 teenagers were permanently residing in Russia, where they had been born, and studied in Moscow in classes with a predominance of the ethnic majority. The socio-psychological adaptation of adolescents, as well as social, ethnic, personal identity and resilience were assessed with a battery of standardized tests.
Results. In opposite to external favorable picture of social adaptation among migrant adolescents, there are unfavorable transformations of their ethnic and personal identity, as well as maladaptive processes in the functional system of adaptation to new socio-cultural conditions.
Conclusions. The specific conditions of a teenager's socialization in the context of migration require constant adjustment to the contradictory requirements of a multicultural environment, and limited opportunities to manage the situation cause functional social maladaptation and emotional discomfort. It is pointed out that it is necessary to achieve the balance in the formation of social identity and the strengthening of ethnic identity in adolescents in the context of migration.

Datasets аvailable from: https://ruspsydata.mgppu.ru/ handle/123456789/229

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