Making sense of immigration processes

Abstract

This article analyses the narrative disruption processes and quality of life of adolescent immigrants in Spain. Furthermore, it also provides a new methodological approach to assess meta-subjective and narrative quality of life. Participants were 30 adolescents (15 immigrant and 15 autochthons) selected form a sample of 884 adolescents (from which 204 were immigrants). Data regarding quality of life was collected applying the Friendship Quality Scale and the Vancouver Index of Acculturation to all the participants (n = 884). According to the punctuation of the questionnaires a subsample was chosen, the Biographical Grid was applied to 30 participants; the immigrants group was also asked to write a text. Results indicate that both perceived quality of life and self-esteem of immigrant’s group are lower than the autochthons’ while narrative disruption is higher. A deeply explanation about some of the causes of these results is provided by the narratives’ analysis.