What Protects a Child during Migration?

Abstract

Protective factors for mental health during migration were studied in school-aged children and adolescents who had returned from Sweden to Finland during the years 1984-85. Each of the 320 migrant children and adolescents was assigned a control from the same class at school, matched by age and sex, and a non-migrant. Information was gathered from the parents, teachers and children themselves. The returning migrant children and adolescents more often lacked a father than did the controls, and returning migrant boys more often had psychiatric disorders in their teachers' estimations than did the controls, but no such difference was found among the girls. Good adaptation to this change in life was enhanced by good family relationships, good peer relationships, verbalisation ability, good cognitive abilities, as indicated by school achievements, and a clear linguistic identity.