Evaluating Impact of Transition Seminars on Missionary Kids’ Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Well-Being

Abstract

Missionary Kids (MKs) are included in a broader population defined as Third Culture Kids (TCKs), children who are raised outside of their parents’ home cultures (Pollock & Van Reken, 2001). This upbringing affords positive opportunities to experience diverse cultures but may also contribute to identity struggles and feelings of cultural isolation (Gillies, 1998; Hill, 2006; Pollock, 1989). To facilitate successful transitions from living overseas to the US, several reentry programs have been developed, but their effectiveness has not been examined. In this exploratory study the efficacy of a 13-day MK Transitions Seminar was measured. Participants’ pre and post-test scores on the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 and the Psychological General Well-Being Index indicated a significant reduction in levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as significant improvement in overall psychological well-being. The findings and limitations of this study and implications for future studies are discussed.

When You Have Lived in a Different Culture, Does Returning ‘Home’ Not Feel Like Home? Predictors of Psychological Readjustment to the Heritage Culture

“…In addition, the literature generally shows that individuals who moved to another culture at a younger age have more difficulty readjusting to their heritage culture [ 5 , 23 , 40 ]. At re-entry, younger sojourners reported feeling as if they “did not fit in” ([ 3 ]; p. 217), higher levels of depression and social difficulty [ 23 ], lower emotional stability [ 41 ], and elevated levels of anxiety, depression and stress alongside lower general psychological well-being [ 42 ]. Cox [ 23 ] suggested that younger sojourners had an advantage in learning the new culture during expatriation, which in turn made it more difficult to adapt during repatriation.…”

Missionary Kid Career Development: A Consensual Qualitative Research Investigation Through a Social Cognitive Lens

“…When assistance with reentry issues exceeds the array of services available by the career services practitioner, referral for personal counseling or specific services may be warranted. MK transition seminars have been shown to be effective in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as improving overall psychological well‐being for repatriating MKs (Davis et al, ). In parallel, future MK career development research should also include variables (e.g., covariates) that assess the level of sociocultural adaptation.…”

“…Cockburn () suggested that TCKs (especially those with special needs) are vulnerable to risks related to frequent school change. The MK college transition represents another in a series of geographic transitions (Choi, ; Cockburn, ; Edwards & Steinglass, ; Hervey, ), requires an international separation from parents (Choi, ), and requires sociocultural adaptation to the United States (Bikos et al, ; Davis et al, ).…”

“…Third‐culture kids (TCKs; Pollock & Van Reken, ) are individuals who have spent a significant portion of their developmental years in a culture/country that is different from their parents’. Children of international missionaries, or missionary kids (MKs), are a TCK subgroup whose childhood occurs in faith‐based, global contexts (Choi, ; Davis et al, ; Pollock & Van Reken, ). Increasingly, scholars have recommended that MK researchers focus on specific psychosocial developmental tasks associated with young adulthood repatriation (Bikos et al, ; Wrobbel & Plueddemann, ).…”

Cultural Differences in Family Affection and Coping Abilities for Missionary Kids

“…Likewise, in a study by Davis, Suarez, Crawford, and Rehfuss (2013), the researchers investigated the effectiveness of a 13-day reentry program that was designed to facilitate easier transitions from the host culture to the home culture. Modeling the exploratory study by Davis et al (2010), the seminar included individual counseling, group discussions, and social activities. The results demonstrated that MKs had a significant decrease in levels of depression, anxiety, and stress following the seminar.…”