16th EUSPR Conference and Members’ Meeting

Making Sense of Belonging: Understanding the Predictors of Recently Arrived Adolescents’ Sense of Societal Belonging to the Swedish Society

Not scheduled

15m

CharitéCrossOver/0-0 - Atrium (Virchowweg 6)

Poster Posters day 2

Speakers

Mrs Amanda Nilsson Linnéa Wihlborg

Description

Background: Experiencing a sense of belonging is considered a fundamental human need, and its fulfillment is closely linked to several positive adjustment outcomes such as self-esteem, psychological well-being, low levels of symptoms and behavioral problems among youth. Yet, youth with immigration background, particularly the recently arrived youth, often struggle to feel connected to important contexts in the host society such as school as well as to the larger society. Despite its significance, earlier research has largely overlooked how societal belonging can be achieved in this group. To address this gap, the current study aimed to address two questions. First, we examined whether the way recently arrived youth view the larger social context was linked to their sense of societal belonging. Second, we examined if acculturation motivations could mediate the link between views of the society and sense of societal belonging.
Method: The sample included recently resettled immigrant adolescents in grades 7 through 9 (n = 233; Mage=15.40, 44% males) who arrived in Sweden after 2015. Mediation models were fitted to test the research questions.
Results: The results suggested that adolescents who held a positive view of the society displayed higher level of motivation to integrate into the Swedish society. In turn, higher levels of integration motivation positively predicted sense of societal belongingness, b indirect =.09, 95% CI: .03, .16. On the contrary, neither motivation to assimilate nor separate significantly mediated the association between how youth view the society and their sense of societal belongingness.
Discussion: These findings highlight the importance of holding a positive view about how much the society is welcoming and appreciating the presence of immigrants. A positive view of the larger context may motivate young people to develop greater motivation to embrace values and norms of the host society while maintaining their heritage culture, which in turn, may foster their sense of belongingness. These results have implications for interventions aimed at promoting successful integration among recently arrived immigrant youth.