Determinants of self-reported emotional and behavioral problems in Turkish immigrant adolescents aged 11–18

Abstract.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to determine how adolescent, parent, family and stress factors and parental psychopathology are associated with self-reported emotional and behavioral problems in Turkish immigrant adolescents.

Methods:

Multiple logistic models were fitted to determine the associations between problems, assessed by the Youth Self-Report (n = 363), and determinants, derived from the Turkish Immigrant Assessment Questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire-28 filled in by parents.

Results:

Repeating a grade,not living with both parents, remarriage and death or serious health problems in the family were associated with higher YSR scores. Support from the mother’s family was of major importance. The strongest predictive power was found for family-related factors in boys and for parent-related factors in girls.

Conclusions:

Cultural aspects and post-immigration issues play an important underlying role in explaining problem behavior in Turkish immigrant adolescents. Future research should include additional immigrant-specific factors, e. g., acculturation-related issues, preferably in a longitudinal study design to gain more insight into the complex relationship between immigrant status and psychopathology.