Household composition after resettlement and emotional health in adolescent migrants

Manuela Orjuela-Grimm; Maria Marti-Castaner; Silvia Bhatt-Carreño; Maria A Castro; Alexandra Restrepo Henao; Hector Pinilla; Daniela Rodriguez; Ambar Ruiz; Michelle Valentin; Arielle Richey Levine; Rossmary Gonzalez; Marisa Zuleta; Marisa Pharel; Paola Medina; Roberto Lewis-Fernandez

doi:10.1016/j.jmh.2022.100103

Household composition after resettlement and emotional health in adolescent migrants

J Migr Health. 2022 Apr 16:5:100103. doi: 10.1016/j.jmh.2022.100103. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Manuela Orjuela-Grimm^{1

2}, Maria Marti-Castaner³, Silvia Bhatt-Carreño¹, Maria A Castro¹, Alexandra Restrepo Henao^{1

4}, Hector Pinilla¹, Daniela Rodriguez¹, Ambar Ruiz¹, Michelle Valentin¹, Arielle Richey Levine¹, Rossmary Gonzalez¹, Marisa Zuleta¹, Marisa Pharel¹, Paola Medina¹, Roberto Lewis-Fernandez⁵

Affiliations

¹ Mailman School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
² Columbia University Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics (Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation), New York, New York, USA.
³ The Danish Research Center for Migration, Ethnicity, and Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁴ Epidemiology Research Group, National School of Public Health, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia.
⁵ New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA.

Abstract

Background: Migration during adolescence constitutes an important stressor that particularly impacts unaccompanied minors (UAM). Adolescent UAM in the United States (U.S.) are relatively understudied, especially regarding their resilience and emotional well-being after resettlement. Small school-based studies have documented the mental health status of UAM who resettled reuniting with their parents. However, many do not resettle with parents and less is known about the degree to which post-resettlement household composition impacts resilience and emotional well-being.

Methods: Our goal was to examine how migration characteristics, supports, resilience, and emotional well-being vary by UAM resettlement household composition (reunification with parents, reunification with a non-parental family member, or living in a household not containing any family members). Using a mixed-methods (quantitative-qualitative) cross-sectional approach, we assessed 46 Latin American adolescent UAM to the U.S. who resettled into these three household types.

Results: Youth experienced support differently by household type, influencing their strategies for adapting and coping post-resettlement, impacting their resilience (Kruskal Wallis-H 4.8; p<0.09) and emotional well-being (Kruskal Wallis 5.3; p<0.07). Youth living in households without relatives (n = 9) had lower resilience (Fisher's exact test p<0.002) and positive affect (Fisher's exact test p<0.003) and needed to expend greater efforts to mobilize social supports than youth living with parents (n = 22) or with non-parental family members (n = 15).

Conclusion: The needs and coping abilities of UAM migrants vary with the composition of their immediate receiving environment, their post-resettlement household. Understanding differences associated with these household characteristics can guide interventions to maximize emotional health and resilience.

Keywords: Adolescent migrants; CBO, Community Based Organizations; CYRM28, Children Youth Resilience Measure-28; Emotional health; FY, Federal Year; GLS, General Life Satisfaction; Latino youth; NIHTB-EB, NIH toolbox emotional battery; NYC, New York City; ORR, Office of Refugee Resettlement; PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorders; RA, research assistant; Resettlement household composition; Resilience; UAM, unaccompanied minors; Unaccompanied youth.

Abstract

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