Australian Sudanese and South Sudanese Youths’ Perspectives on the Youth/Parent Relationship and Its Influence on the Transition to Adulthood

Abstract

Youth/parent relations can be an important influence on young peoples’ transition to adulthood. For youths and their parents from migrant and refugee backgrounds, this transition can also be influenced by a series of unique challenges linked to processes of acculturation in a new cultural setting. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the influence of youth/parent relationships throughout Australian Sudanese and South Sudanese youths’ transitions to adulthood. Using a voice-centred relational methodology (VCRM) approach and Bourdieu’s theory of practice, the voices of participants are placed at the centre of the research. Findings suggest that youth/parent relationships within these communities have a considerable influence on Australian Sudanese and South Sudanese youths’ perspectives on the transition to adulthood. This was found to be particularly influenced by navigations of Australian and Sudanese/South Sudanese cultural norms and expectations and how these are balanced throughout the transition to adulthood.