The adaptation and well-being of adolescent immigrants in Greek schools: A multilevel, longitudinal study of risks and resources

This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.This study examined growth patterns in adaptation of immigrant youth from a risk and resilience perspective. Students from first- and second-generation immigrant families living in Greece and their nonimmigrant classmates (N= 1,057) were assessed over the first 3 years of secondary school (ages 13–15). Three-level hierarchical linear models were used to disentangle individual and classroom-level effects on initial level and change in academic achievement, conduct, peer popularity, and psychological well-being. At the individual level, adaptation was more related to self-efficacy and parental school involvement (resources) than immigrant status and social adversity (risks). Only for academic achievement did risks explain variance when resources were controlled. Parental school involvement moderated the effect of immigrant status for initial level and growth in achievement. For all students, achievement and conduct worsened over time. At the classroom level, socioeconomic and ethnic composition of the classroom moderated the effects of self-efficacy and immigrant status on academic achievement and peer popularity, respectively. Second-generation immigrants were more popular than first-generation immigrants, but showed a larger decrease over time in school achievement. Results support a developmental, differentiated, and contextualized approach to the study of immigrant youth adaptation.Peer Reviewe

Internet use and abuse among Greek adoleschents: Τhe effect of feelings of inadequacy mediated by the quality of romantic relationships in adolescent bloggers and social network users

The presentation refers to the contradictory findings regarding the prevalence of internet addiction among Greek adolescent

Adaptation of immigrant middle school students: The role of perceived discrimination against the self and against the group, and of acculturation

The purpose of the study is to explore the relationship between two different aspects of perceived discrimination, discrimination against the self and against the group, and three acculturation resources (host national & ethnic orientation, and sense of belonging) on four different adaptation outcomes

Bringing the European Union Closer to its Young Citizens: Youth Active Citizenship in Europe and Trust in EU Institutions

European Union countries are participatory and representative democracies. Therefore, active citizenship in the EU and trust in EU institutions are paramount for the continuation and the strengthening of the EU project. Young Europeans who hold the future in their hands need to be actively engaged not only in the social and political life within their national communities, but also in the wider European community. The papers in this special issue examine whether and how European youth identify with the EU, trust EU institutions and engage in EU issues, and which societal and proximal-level contexts and/or individual-level attributes promote or hinder young people’s active citizenship in European context. They are based on results from the Horizon 2020 CATCH-EyoU project, standing for Constructing AcTive CitizensHip with European Youth: Policies, Practices, Challenges and Solutions. Scientists from different disciplines (Psychology, Political Science, Sociology, Media and Communications, Education) and from eight European countries (Sweden, Estonia, UK, Germany, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Italy). Together, the papers contribute to the development of a new, cutting-edge conceptualization of youth active citizenship in the EU, and to a better understanding of the factors promoting or inhibiting young EU citizens’ engagement, participation and active citizenship at the European level

Internet addiction among Greek adolescents: Prediction from flow of internet activity and impulsive compulsive behavior

The presentation refers to the contradictory findings regarding the prevalence of internet addiction among Greek adolescent

Personality attributes and psychological symptoms of immigrant youth as predictors of perceived discrimination against the self and against the ethnic group

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between perceived discrimination and a) individual personality attributes b)psychological symptoms

Immigrant and Refugee Adolescents’ Resilient Adaptation: Who does well and why?

Η ανθεκτική προσαρμογή των νέων μεταναστών και προσφύγων στις κοινωνίες υποδοχής είναι σημαντική για την ευζωία των νέων και την ευημερία των κοινωνιών υποδοχής. Ωστόσο, παρατηρείται σημαντική ποικιλομορφία στην προσαρμογή τους. Το κεντρικό ερώτημα, που εξετάζεται σε αυτό το άρθρο, είναι: "Ποιος από τους νέους μετανάστες και πρόσφυγες τα πάει καλά και γιατί;". Για να απαντήσουμε σε αυτό το ερώτημα, παρουσιάζουμε ένα ολοκληρωμένο μοντέλο για την κατανόηση της ανθεκτικότητας των νέων μεταναστών, το οποίο ενσωματώνει αναπτυξιακές, πολιτισμικές και κοινωνικές ψυχολογικές οπτικές. Αυτό το εννοιολογικό πλαίσιο για την ανθεκτικότητα πλαισιώνει την έρευνα στη βάση δύο βασικών ερωτημάτων: Πρώτον, τι δημιουργεί προκλήσεις για την προσαρμογή των νέων μεταναστών; Δεύτερον, ποιοι πόροι προστατεύουν τη θετική τους προσαρμογή; Κατά συνέπεια, παρουσιάζουμε επιστημονικά στοιχεία σχετικά με την επίδραση στη θετική τους προσαρμογή των προκλήσεων, που σχετίζονται με τη μετανάστευση, και των πόρων σε επίπεδο ατομικό και πλαισίου. Τα υπάρχοντα στοιχεία δείχνουν, ότι η εστίαση στα δυνατά σημεία και την ανθεκτικότητα αντί για τις αδυναμίες και τα ψυχολογικά συμπτώματα των νέων μεταναστών και προσφύγων μπορεί να έχει σημαντικές επιπτώσεις στη μεταναστευτική πολιτική και πράξη.Resilient adaptation of immigrant and refugee youth in receiving societies is consequential for the wellbeing of the youth and the prosperity of the receiving societies. Yet there is significant diversity in their adaptation. The central question addressed in this article is: “Who among immigrant and refugee youth do well and why?” To address this question, we present an integrative model for conceptualizing immigrant-youth resilience, which integrates developmental, acculturation, and social psychological perspectives. This resilience framework frames research on the basis of two key questions: First, what challenges immigrant youths’ adaptation? Second, what resources protect their positive adaptation? Accordingly, we present scientific evidence regarding the influence of immigration-specific challenges and contextual and individual-level resources on their positive adaptation. Extant evidence suggests that focusing on strengths and resilience, instead of on weaknesses and psychological symptoms, among immigrant and refugee youth may have significant implications for policy and practice

JMASM 32: Multiple Imputation of Missing Multilevel, Longitudinal Data: A Case When Practical Considerations Trump Best Practices?

A pedagogical tool is presented for applied researchers dealing with incomplete multilevel, longitudinal data. It explains why such data pose special challenges regarding missingness. Syntax created to perform a multiply-imputed growth modeling procedure in Stata Version 11 (StataCorp, 2009) is also described