The role of Cultural Socialization and Contextual Factors on the Subjective Well-Being of Immigrant Adolescent Girls at the Beginning and End of Adolescence: A life course perspective
This study aimed to identify the state of subjective well-being and its influencing factors in first- and second-generation internal immigrant adolescent girls during two transitions (beginning and end of adolescence). The study employed descriptive and correlational methods. For this purpose, 500 i...
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| Language: | fas |
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University of Isfahan
2024-08-01
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| Series: | پژوهشنامه روانشناسی مثبت |
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| Online Access: | https://ppls.ui.ac.ir/article_29205_3f589b797f14da9d9d9d5d1866d48673.pdf |
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| Summary: | This study aimed to identify the state of subjective well-being and its influencing factors in first- and second-generation internal immigrant adolescent girls during two transitions (beginning and end of adolescence). The study employed descriptive and correlational methods. For this purpose, 500 immigrant female students from seventh and twelfth grades (early and late adolescence) were selected through a multi-stage random sampling method. They responded to questionnaires on their subjective well-being and cultural socialization. Results indicated that speaking the mother tongue and educational grade (with higher subjective well-being observed in seventh-grade students compared to twelfth-grade students) negatively affected subjective well-being. Based on these findings, it is necessary to provide a suitable platform for promoting socialization to enhance the subjective well-being of immigrant adolescent girls. This is particularly important for twelfth-grade students and those who mainly use their mother tongue at home.IntroductionMigration is an important stage in life (Rice, 2011) and has significant social, psychological, and educational consequences for adolescents (Yildirim et al., 2023). The life course perspective offers a framework for understanding the experiences of immigrants (Bernard & Kalemba, 2022). Adolescent immigrants face challenges such as stress, discrimination, language barriers, and bullying (Marcus et al., 2023). Moreover, the socio-psychological impacts of immigration significantly influence the mental health and subjective well-being of immigrants (Echterhoff et al., 2020). Subjective well-being is one of the important indicators of psychological adjustment during adolescence (Bird & Markle, 2012). Studies show that the subjective well-being of immigrants is smaller than that of natives and is found during adolescence (Céspedes et al, 2024). This research was conducted to investigate the effect of cultural socialization, ethnicity, mother tongue, educational level, and immigrant generation on the subjective well-being of adolescent girls. MethodThis study was applied in nature and employed a descriptive correlational design. The statistical population included all internal immigrant female students in the seventh and twelfth grades of secondary schools located in the marginalized areas of Tehran, Iran and the other cities within Tehran province during the academic year 1402-1403. A sample of 500 girls were selected using multi-stage random sampling method. The Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (Diener et al., 1985), which includes five questions, was used to measure the cognitive dimension of subjective well-being (original study r = 0.84). The reliability of the questionnaire in this study was 0.81. In order to measure the emotional dimension of subjective well-being, the emotions questionnaire was used, which measured emotions with ten questions (OECD, 2013). In the present study, the reliability of positive affect dimension was 0.875 and negative affect was 0.689.The Cultural Socialization Behavior questionnaire was designed by Derlan (2016). This scale measures the inherited socio-cultural behaviors of teenagers with 12 questions. The reliability of the original questionnaire ranges from 0.86 to 0.91 (Derlan, 2018) and the reliability of the scale in the present study was equal to 0.88. In this study, first, 4 immigrant-friendly regions in Tehran and 4 cities of Tehran province were selected, and in each region, 2 first-year high schools and 2 second-year high schools were randomly selected. All eligible students completed the questionnaires. ResultsThis study examined the subjective well-being of internal immigrant female students. The mean of the subjective well-being variable was higher than average (25). Additionally, the mean subjective well-being was higher among seventh-grade students than among twelfth-grade students who do not speak their mother tongue at home. The highest rates were observed among Azeris and Kurds, while the lowest rates were found among the Gilak people No difference was observed between the first and second generations. To investigate the effect of independent variables on subjective well-being, hierarchical regression analysis was conducted in three steps. First, nominal variables were converted into virtual variables and the assumptions of hierarchical regression were checked and confirmed.The correlation result of predictive variables with subjective well-being are presented in Table 1.Table 1Correlation of Predictive Variables with Subjective Well-Being Subjective Well-BeinCultural SocializationAzeriKurdishLorGilakGradegenerationmother tongueSubjective Well-Beingr1.000.282**.128**.042.021-.053-.130**.012-.125**p..000.006.414.689.336.000.741.000Cultural Socializationr.282**1.000.130**.165**-.016-.009-.024-.055-.196**p.000..006.001.765.871.519.135.000Table 2 shows the results of hierarchical regression.Table 2Summary of Hierarchical Regression Analysis of Factors Affecting Subjective Well-BeingModelstandardized CoefficientsBetatpFRR SquareAdjusted R Squareconstant 25.210.001 20.35 0.41 0.17 0.16cultural socialization0.49.710.001mother tongue-0.13-3.030.003grade-0.9-1.90.05Dependent Variable: Subjective Well-BeingTo analyze the hierarchical regression, in the first step, the sociability variable was included in the model, explaining 14.2% of the variance of subjective well-being (R2 = 0.142) and had a positive and significant effect on well-being (p < 0.0001, 2 t = 9.0, β = 0.38). In the second step, the variables of ethnicity and mother tongue were added to the model and the explanatory power of the model increased to 16.1% (R2 = 0.16). In this step, speaking in the mother tongue had a negative and significant effect on subjective well-being (p<0.01, t=-3.4, β=-0.14). In the third step, the variables of immigrant generation and educational level were entered into the model and the explanatory power of the model increased to 16.7% (R2=0.167). At this stage, the educational level demonstrated a significant negative effect on subjective well-being (p < 0.05, t = -1.9, β = -0.9). Also, the results of the analysis of variance showed that all three regression models statistically were meaningful. In the final model (Table 1), cultural socialization had a positive and significant effect (p < 0.0001, t = 9.7, β = 0.4), speaking in the mother tongue had a negative and significant effect (p < 0.03, t=-3.03 β = -0.13,) on subjective well-being, while educational level showed a significant negative effect (p < 0.05, t = -1.9, β = -0.9). Based on the results of the test, the hypotheses regarding the role of cultural socialization, speaking in the mother tongue, and educational level were confirmed, while the variables of ethnicity and immigrant generation were excluded from the equation.ConclusionThis study focuses on understanding the factors affecting the subjective well-being of first- and second-generation female migrant adolescents in Tehran by adopting a life course approach. Hierarchical data analysis revealed that cultural socialization and speaking the mother tongue were significant predictors of subjective well-being, whereas educational level demonstrated a comparatively weaker predictive role. The findings of the study suggest that cultural socialization plays a critical role in helping adolescents adapt (Hughes et al, 2006) to new social contexts by fostering positive interactions and alleviating feelings of loneliness and depression (McHale et al., 2006). Interestingly, no significant difference in subjective well-being was observed between first- and second-generation migrants, which can be attributed to the similar economic and social conditions experienced by both groups in underprivileged areas of Tehran.The findings also revealed that younger adolescents reported higher levels of subjective well-being at the beginning of high school compared to the end. This disparity can be attributed to the increased pressures and expectations associated with the transition to adulthood (Elder,1998). Additionally, adolescents who predominantly speak their mother tongue at home reported lower levels of subjective well-being, potentially due to communication barriers that may increase the likelihood of experiencing discrimination (Kao, 1991).Cultural socialization among the studied adolescents was found to be generally below average, with first-generation migrants exhibiting higher levels compared to their second-generation counterparts. Globalization and shifting lifestyles are likely contributing factors to the observed decline in cultural socialization (Hazeri & Sharifi, 2009). The results of this study underscore the necessity of further research on socialization processes and recommends conducting longitudinal studies to track changes over time and investigate additional social factors influencing both Iranian and foreign migrant families. The limitations of this study include its cross-sectional design and exclusive focus on cultural socialization, warranting caution when generalizing the findings to other populations.Ethical ConsiderationCompliance with Ethical Guidelines: This article is derived from the doctoral dissertation in Educational Psychology at the University of Tehran.Authors’ Contributions: All authors contributed to the preparation of the final manuscript. The first and second authors contributed to the “drafting”, “editing “and “methodology” of the manuscript, respectively. The third and fourth authors completed the “discussion and conclusion” sections.Conflict of Interest: The authors report no conflict of interest.Funding: The authors conducted the research without financial support.Acknowledgment: The authors would like to express their gratitude to all the people who participated in the research *. Corresponding author |
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| ISSN: | 2476-4248 2476-3705 |