Adaptation of Indochinese Refugee Unaccompanied Minors to the United States: Depression; Americanization; Academic Achievement

Abstract

Many Indochinese unaccompanied adolescents have been resettled in the United States without parents. Their recent immigration and adolescent life stage-both potential stressors--may render them vulnerable to psychosocial distress. This study examined effects of placement mode, time in U.S., situation/status of family of origin, displacement, support, and political awareness on their life-satisfaction/ depression, Americanization, and academic achievement. Subjects were 82 Indochinese adolescents, ages 12 to 19. Of 58 unaccompanied minors, 29 were in foster care with Caucasian families, 10 in foster care with Indochinese families, 19 in group homes. Twenty-four Indochinese adolescents living with their own families were also subjects. A child's version of The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) measured depression. The investigator's 42-item questionnaire and checklist collected demographics and additional data. The overall sample was depressed: mean CES-D score, 18.25-two points above clinical depression. But, subjects in ethnic foster care or their own families had mean scores of 11, compared to 23 for Caucasian foster homes or group homes: F(3,78)=12.08, p.<.0001. Significant benefits for subjects in settings with an Indochinese adult (related or not) were: less depression, higher grade point average, more positive academic attributions, greater likelihood of viewing academic success as a result of own effort and under own control, more positive social attributions, greater frequency when sad of turning to another person for help in feeling better. Support had strong but differential influences on successful adaptation: beneficial in lowering depression for children in non-ethnic settings, unnecessary for those in ethnic homes. Displacement taking place prior to immigration to the U.S. ceased to have an effect on important outcomes when all variables were taken into account. There were significant differences in striving for independence (a measure of Americanization) between children in own families and unaccompanied minors, with the former having lower scores. Academic performance proved stable across groups: mean GPA was 3.05. These data suggest the importance of promoting (in the following order): foster care with extended family, foster care in ethnic homes, ethnic staff for service programs, Caucasian foster families with cross-cultural experience.