Social Adaptation Problems among Amerasian Refugees

Abstract

In this paper we describe and explain a variety of problems experienced by Amerasian youths upon their resettlement in the United States. We examine a matrix of contextual, household and individual behavioral predictors of Amerasian youths' problems and we argue that, taken individually, existing theoretical frameworks do not adequately explain the Amerasian adaptation process. The most significant predictors of Amerasian youths' problems are an unstable home environment, gender (maleness), whether or not the mother reported mental and physical problems, and the type of assistance provider (mutual assistance association). We add to existing research on Amerasians' process of adaptation by incorporating a wider variety of youths' problems into the dependent variable, by including hitherto unavailable independent variables into the analysis, and by suggesting some immediate strategies and new policy initiatives aimed at helping resettlement agencies deal with this specialized immigrant population. In sum, we demonstrate that Amerasians' unofficially “mixed” immigration status – they are designated as immigrants who are treated as refugees but are simultaneously half-American – compounds theorists and policy makers' difficulties in dealing conceptually with this population.