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Newcomer Youth Self-Esteem: A Community-Based Mixed Methods Study of Afghan, Columbian, Sudanese and Tamil Youth in Toronto, Canada

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Refuge and Resilience

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Migration ((IPMI,volume 7))

Abstract

Self-esteem is recognized as an important correlate of youth mental wellbeing and, by extension, supportive of individual resilience. While an extensive body of literature exists on self-esteem of mainstream youth, less is known about self-esteem experiences of immigrant youth, and in particular newcomer and refugee youth. Applying a community-based participatory research approach, and using mixed methods, the aim of the study presented was to understand social determinants of newcomer youth’s mental wellbeing, and recognize both their challenges and resilience. The chapter focuses on the self-esteem of newcomer youth from four ethnic backgrounds (Afghan, Colombian, Sudanese, and Tamil).The study findings can contribute to mental health promotion strategies in multicultural and immigrant-receiving community settings.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    When ethnic group averages were used to substitute for missing cases, 60 % of participants scored in the highest tercile of Global Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale scores (GL-RSE score 30–40), while 40 % scored in the medium self-esteem level tercile (GL-RSE score 20–29), and 0 % in the lowest self-esteem tercile (GL-RSE score 10–19). Male and female youth both had an average GL-RSE score of 31. When GL-RSE were subdivided into high, medium, and low self-esteem terciles, 33 % of males fell into the medium GL-RSE score range, while 67 % fell into the highest self-esteem bracket. The trend was more of an even distribution for females with 48 % of females falling in the medium self-esteem range and 52 % in the high self-esteem range.

  2. 2.

    The average Current Self Esteem score (CU-SE) for the participants was 7.8 (SD = 2.1). In our sample, 17 % of respondents had the highest CU-SE score of 10. Males and females both had an average score of 8. CU-SE scores were classified into three groups: high current self-esteem (7–10), medium current self-esteem (scores 5–6), and low current self-esteem (scores 1–4). In our youth sample, 75 % of participants fell in the highest current self-esteem bracket, 12 % in the medium bracket, and 6 % in the lowest bracket. While 54 % of males scored in the highest current self-esteem bracket, 11 % scored in the medium bracket, and no males scored in the lowest bracket. Females followed a similar trend for the highest (68 %) and medium brackets (12 %), however, 12 % of females fell in the lowest current self-esteem bracket.

  3. 3.

    The GL-RSE scores differed between ethnic groups (Afghan/Pashto mean = 28, SD = 5.9; Colombian mean = 31, SD = 4.6; Sudanese mean = 39, SD = 0.88; Tamil mean = 32, SD = 3.8). When GL-RSE were subdivided into high, medium, and low self-esteem terciles, 61 % of Afghan/Pashto sample scored in the medium self-esteem bracket, while 39 % scored in the highest GL-RSE tercile. For the Colombian sample, 32 % of youth fell in the medium self-esteem range, while 68 % scored in the highest self-esteem bracket. All of the Sudanese participants scored in the highest self-esteem bracket. For the Tamil group, 38 % of youth scored in the medium self-esteem range, while 62 % fell in the highest self-esteem tercile.

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Acknowledgements

This study was made possible through funding provided by the Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health at CHEO, Ontario, Canada (Research Grant # 122). We are grateful for the assistance of our research personnel during the different phases of the study: our Project Coordinator, Tahira Gonsalves, and our Research Assistants: Michelle Lee, Lauren Glassen, Emma Oudeh, and Farah Islam. Emma and Farah are co-authors of this chapter. We also acknowledge the research administrative support provided by Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services in Toronto, Faculty of Nursing (University Toronto) and Faculty of Health (York University). We worked with an energetic and passionate group of youth as part of the study’s Youth Advisory Committee and Peer Researchers and acknowledge all their efforts and support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Women’s Health Research Chair in Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, York University, HNES 3rd floor, 4700 Keele Street, M3J 1P3, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Nazilla Khanlou

  2. Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services, Toronto, Canada

    Yogendra B. Shakya

  3. York University, Toronto, Canada

    Farah Islam & Emma Oudeh

Authors
  1. Nazilla Khanlou
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  2. Yogendra B. Shakya
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  3. Farah Islam
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  4. Emma Oudeh
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Correspondence to Nazilla Khanlou .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center on Immigration and Justice, Vera Institute of Justice, New York, New York, USA

    Laura Simich

  2. Department of Psychiatry Equity, Gender and Populations Division, University of Toronto Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Lisa Andermann

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX A

CURRENT SELF-ESTEEM INSTRUMENT

(Khanlou 2004)

1. On the following scale, please circle the number that shows how you have felt about yourself over the course of the pastweek. The bigger the number, the more positive you have felt about yourself. 1 means you didn’t feel good about yourself. 10 means you felt great about yourself.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Didn’t feel good about myself

Felt great about myself

2. What things made you feel GOOD about yourself?

3. What things made you feel NOT GOOD about yourself?

4. What things can you DO TO FEEL GOOD about yourself?

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Khanlou, N., Shakya, Y., Islam, F., Oudeh, E. (2014). Newcomer Youth Self-Esteem: A Community-Based Mixed Methods Study of Afghan, Columbian, Sudanese and Tamil Youth in Toronto, Canada. In: Simich, L., Andermann, L. (eds) Refuge and Resilience. International Perspectives on Migration, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7923-5_8

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