Parenting, family functioning and lifestyle in a new culture: the case of African migrants in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Abstract

This study documented the parenting styles among African migrants now living in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and assessed how intergenerational issues related to parenting in a new culture impact on family functioning and the modification of lifestyles. A total of 10 focus group discussions (five with parents and five with 13–17‐year‐old children; N = 85 participants) of 1.5–2 hours duration were conducted with Sudanese, Somali and Ethiopian migrant families. The analysis identified three discrete themes: (i) parenting‐related issues; (ii) family functioning and family relations; and (iii) lifestyle changes and health. African migrant parents were restrictive in their parenting; controlled children's behaviours and social development through strict boundary‐setting and close monitoring of interests, activities, and friends; and adopted a hierarchical approach to decision‐making while discouraging autonomy among their offspring. Programmes seeking to improve the health and welfare of African migrants in their host countries need to accommodate the cultural and social dimensions that shape their lives. Such programmes may need to be so broad as to apply an acculturation lens to planning, and to assist young people, parents and families in addressing intergenerational issues related to raising children and growing up in a different social and cultural milieu.

Beyond ‘us’ and ‘them’: migrant encounters with difference and reimagining the national

“…They also seem, as Marek continues, to pay much more attention to such values as diversity and tolerance, but fail to pass on a sense of respect towards older generations. Various studies demonstrate that parenting strategies are prone to be shaped by the experience of migration (Sims & Omaji 1999;Lopez Rodriguez 2010;Ryan 2010;de Haan 2011;Renzaho et al 2011;Kilkey et al 2014). While there is evidence that some parents may, like Artur above, turn to what they understand as "home culture" infused child rearing (cf.…”

European Somali Children Dumped? On families, parents, and children in a transnational context

“…It is reported in several studies that childrearing in Africa, generally speaking, is more authoritarian than in the West (see e.g., Bledsoe, 1990;Kagitcibasi, 1996Kagitcibasi, , 2005LeVine & LeVine, 1981;Renzaho et al, 2011). A man in his early 50s reflected upon the differences between 'Somali' and 'Swedish' childrearing styles and argued that Swedish or western ways are counterproductive when it comes to creating a strong person, the goal of Somali upbringing:…”

“…Obedience is important in child rearing, to avoid raising independent children that will look after their own selfinterest rather than the collective's best interest. Such independence and autonomy would threaten the core of the family model (Kagitcibasi, 2005; see also Bornstein, 2012;Renzaho, Green, Mellor, & Swinburn, 2011).…”

Resilience and Its Association with Depression, Emotional and Behavioural Problems, and Mental Health Service Utilisation among Refugee Adolescents Living in South Australia

“…Religious beliefs and practices, supportive family, and community relationships protected against mental health problems and promoted adaptation in adolescent refugees in Australia [33]; while intergenerational conflict between parents struggling to maintain cultural values, gender roles, and traditional forms of discipline and children asserting their freedom and rights and striving to acculturate was a potential risk factor (e.g., [34,35]). In the present study with young Australian refugees, resilience (as measured by the CD-RISC scale; [23]) primarily encompasses personal characteristics and skills (sense of personal competence and active problem solving) but does include some protective factors such as social relationships and religious faith.…”