A Resilience Perspective on Immigrant and Refugee Youth Adaptation: Who does well and why?
Project funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI-FM17-1188)
Migration is a defining challenge of the 21st century. Millions of young people live in a different country from the one their parents were born in. In Greece, beyond the already established economic migrants, there has been a sharp increase in recent years in the number of refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, African countries, and more recently, from Ukraine. The integration of migrants and refugees is vital both for themselves and for the host societies. According to reports from international organizations, a key indicator of migrant integration is how well their children fare in the host society. The current quality of adolescents' adaptation is a predictor of their future integration and also of social cohesion.
Migrant adolescent families face social and economic adversity that endangers their adjustment. They often belong to the lower socioeconomic strata of host societies. In Greece, migrants face greater difficulties compared to Greeks, due to the ongoing economic recession. Furthermore, they are often subject to discrimination. Despite these challenges, there is wide variation in how well these adolescents adapt. Some migrant youths adapt successfully, while others appear to be less resilient.
The main goal of this research project is to understand the factors that promote the resilience of adolescent migrants and refugees in Greece and, consequently, to mitigate the effects of the social and economic adversity they face. The key research question is: Which migrant and refugee adolescents adapt well, and why? The study adopts a developmental model of mental resilience, which focuses on the positive aspects of adolescent migrant adaptation, emphasizing resources, strengths, protective factors, and positive outcomes, rather than risks, problems, and vulnerabilities.
The project consists of six work packages over a 48-month period (December 2019 – December 2023):
Work Package 1 focuses on project management to ensure smooth implementation.
Work Package 2 investigates potential risk and protective factors for the adaptation of migrant adolescents. For this purpose, both a longitudinal quantitative study (questionnaires) and a qualitative study (interviews) will be conducted.
Work Package 3 explores possible risk and protective factors for the adaptation of refugee adolescents. This includes a quantitative study (questionnaires) and two qualitative studies (interviews with refugee youths and with educators).
Work Package 4 implements a randomized controlled trial to test an intervention program aimed at promoting mental health by exploring and strengthening adolescents’ ethnocultural identity as a source of empowerment. This intervention includes adolescents from both migrant and Greek backgrounds, as it is expected to yield significant results for both groups.
Work Package 5 synthesizes the findings of WP2, WP3, and WP4. The results of each work package will be analyzed with a focus on triangulation and the complementarity of different data types and groups. In the final year of the project, representatives from NGOs working with migrants and refugees, as well as a group of adolescent migrants and refugees, will be invited to discuss their suggestions regarding the practical implications and social relevance of the project’s findings.
Work Package 6 aims to disseminate the research results to the scientific community, society, and relevant stakeholders. Specifically:
(a) At least three papers will be submitted for publication in international peer-reviewed journals,
(b) At least 10 presentations will be delivered at national and international conferences,
(c) A public event will be organized in Athens to share the findings, and
(d) The results will be disseminated through the media (newspapers, television, radio, internet).
The research team consists of researchers, collaborators, and assistants whose expertise and experience complement the multifaceted needs of the research objectives, as follows:
- Professor Emerita Frosso Motti-Stefanidi is the scientific coordinator of the project.
- Professor Vassilis Pavlopoulos is responsible for the quantitative studies.
- Professor Filia Isari is responsible for the qualitative studies.
- Anastasios Dalachanis, clinical psychologist, PhD is in charge of the intervention.
- Maria-Nefeli Dimopoulou (social-cultural psychologist), Angeliki Zacharia (clinical psychologist and PhD candidate), and Christina Tsigkou (clinical psychologist) are scientific associates.
- The team also includes four postgraduate students, 26 undergraduate students, and seven psychology graduates from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
The following schools are participating in the research:
- 3rd Junior High School of Ag. Ioannis Rentis
- 15th, 20th, 21st, 41st, 42nd, 46th, 56th, 60th Junior High Schools of Athens
- 3rd Junior High School of Aigaleo
- 5th, 9th, 11th Junior High Schools of Acharnes
- 3rd Junior High School of Vyronas
- 5th Junior High School of Glyfada
- 2nd Junior High School of Drapetsona
- Drosia Junior High School
- 2nd Intercultural Junior High School of Helliniko
- 3rd Junior High School of Nea Filadelfeia
- 11th Junior High School of Nikaia
- 1st Junior High School of Perama
- 3rd Junior High School of Peristeri
- 1st Junior High School of Skala Oropou
Studying vulnerable adolescents requires careful ethical planning, with the primary concern being the well-being of the participants. The project has received approval from the Ethics Committee of the Department of Psychology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, as well as from the Primary and Secondary Education Directorate of the Attica Region. Informed consent is ensured for both the adolescents and their guardians.
The project is characterized as high-risk, high-gain. It is high-risk because it focuses on particularly vulnerable groups of adolescents. It is high-gain because it aims to produce data using innovative methods, which are expected to contribute to the design of interventions and the formulation of policies that effectively meet the needs of adolescent migrants and refugees, supporting both their personal development and social integration.
Contact: frmotti@psych.uoa.gr