The aim of the study was to examine the mediating and moderating roles of social support in the acculturation-mental health link, and to investigate how these processes combine with self-esteem to affect mental health change. Questionnaire data were collected twice from 137 immigrant students, first at the upstart in junior high school, and then again a year later (8th and 9th grade). Acculturation was described in positive terms as a developmental process towards gaining competence within more than one sociocultural setting. Perceived discrimination and ethnic identity crisis were included as risk factors in this process. A model of structural relations was tested, which after some modifications demonstrated a close fit to the data. The results supported our suggestions of two indirect paths of effects of acculturation on mental health change: one through culture domain-specific social support and another through self-esteem. Self-esteem was also identified as a mediator of identity crisis. Significant interaction effects between social support and culture competencies were demonstrated in addition to buffer effects of class and family support in relation to identity crisis and discrimination respectively. The study adds to our understanding of positive and negative developmental pathways in multicultural societies.

There is a lack of knowledge about psychosocial resources that may sustain post-resettlement psychological adjustment among unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of social support from family abroad and friends on acculturation, discrimination, and mental health among these vulnerable children and youth. Questionnaire data were collected from a population-based multi-ethnic sample involving 895 unaccompanied minors resettled in municipalities in all regions of the country. They met in groups in their local communities. The informants were on average 18.6 years, and had an average length of stay in Norway of 3.5 years. The findings showed that the participants suffered from high levels of ongoing war related intrusive symptoms and depression. Still, at the same time they engaged in adaptation processes that are normative to youth with immigrant backgrounds, in terms of constructing supportive networks and developing culture competence. In accordance with the main effect hypothesis, social support had direct effects on depression and indirect effects by increasing culture competence that may aid the young refugees in dealing with discrimination. However, there were no effects of social support on symptoms of PTSD. The findings give direction to areas of interventions, beyond dealing with the sequel of the traumas the unaccompanied minors have been exposed to, not only for clinicians, but also social workers and school personnel.

The first aim of the study was to investigate differences in level of mental health, life stress and social support among adolescents with immigrant and domestic background. A second aim was to identify culture group and gender specific sources of risk and protective factors and their relation to mental health. Questionnaire data were collected from 633 students, aged 13, in Oslo, Norway. Immigrant adolescents reported higher level of psychological distress and lower social support than host students. Of the four gender-culture groups, immigrant boys reported the highest level of problems, with a 28% prevalence of anxiety/depression. There were no significant differences in prevalence among the girls. Specific patterns of relationships between life stress, support, and mental health were found across gender and culture. The results were discussed within a framework of culture differences in values and gender role expectancies, underscoring the importance of studying each gender/culture group separately.

There is a complex pattern of adaptation in cultural context and idiosyncratic relationships between distinct psychiatric symptom groups and socio-cultural factors. Information about the differentiated vulnerability of gender, generation, and ethnic groups to psychiatric morbidity is important to identify groups at special risk, and to produce interventions that are tailored to their needs. Future studies should examine how cultural factors contribute both to resilience and to an increased vulnerability to psychiatric problems.

The findings underscore the importance of current life conditions for unaccompanied refugees' mental health.