Migration and Psychological Status of Adolescents in Turkey

• Published in: Adolescence 2007-09, Vol.42 (167), p.589-602
• Main Authors: Aksel, Seyda, Gun, Zubeyit, Irmak, Turkan Yilmaz, Cengelci, Banu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Adolescents; Agricultural Machinery; Attendance; Biological and medical sciences; Changes; Child; Child Labor; Cities; Comparative Analysis; Cultural Differences; Culture; Developing countries; Developmental psychology; Educational Status; Emigration and Immigration; Emotional Adjustment; Emotional Response; Environmental economics; Families & family life; Family (Sociological Unit); Family Relationship; Female; Foreign Countries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender Differences; Holistic Approach; Humans; Individual Development; Influence; LDCs; Life Satisfaction; Male; Migrants; Migration; Municipalities; Networks; Older people; Peer Relationship; Personal Satisfaction; Physical Environment; Psychological aspects; Psychological Patterns; Psychology; Psychology, Adolescent; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; School environment; Self Concept; Self Esteem; Social Support; Social Support Groups; Socioeconomic Status; Stress, Psychological - etiology; Student Adjustment; Studies; Teenagers; Towns; Turkey; Unemployment; Urban Areas; Well Being; Wellbeing; Work Environment; Youth
• ISSN: 0001-8449

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of involuntary migration on an adolescent population that had moved with their families to either one of two culturally different locations in Turkey. One of these groups had moved from a village in Eastern Turkey to a nearby town, while the other had moved a considerable distance to a large city in Western Turkey. Comparison groups included adolescents from both regions who had never migrated. Measures of self-esteem, satisfaction with life, and social support networks were used with 305 adolescents who were between the ages of 12 and 15. Adolescents who had migrated scored lower on self-esteem and life satisfaction, and had fewer people in their social support networks than those who had not. It was also found that those who had migrated tended to be more dependent on peers than family for social support. This was probably the case because school attendance was lower for migrants, particularly for males, and the probability of full time work on the street away from their families was considerably higher. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)