Acculturation Experiences of Adolescents and Nonsuicidal Self-injury Behaviour: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Abstract

Several studies have shown that the process of immigration and the accompanying stress of acculturation and adaptation are risk factors for the appearance of mental disorders in adolescents. To explore the adaptation and acculturation experience of youths reporting nonsuicidal self-injury behavior and mental health difficulties. Additionally, the study seeks to better understand these adolescents' stressful experiences and strategies for coping. To answer the research questions, Russian-speaking adolescent immigrants were included in the study in Hungary. The immigrant adolescents were all from the former Soviet Union. We did not consider cultural background factors other than the use of the mother tongue. Adolescents who had experienced at least one episode of nonsuicidal self-harm or mental difficulties were included. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents, the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory, and interviews related to the experience of immigration were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The interviews were completed in 2018-2019, before the the COVID pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian war. Altogether 5 adolescents were included. The experiences were organized around six topics. Through the themes presented, the stressors of immigration and the adolescents' attempts to cope with them are shown. The experiences that cause stress are wide-ranging and long-lasting, with the potential to impact mental health. In terms of acculturation, adolescents aspired to assimilation but were forced into separation due to the absence of a common language. From a mental health point of view, the potentially stressful circumstances are embedded in a context, which, if well understood, can be targeted with culturally sensitive stress prevention programs. Recommendations are made based on the results.