Social Support Among Adolescents Across Immigrant Generations: A Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

The present mixed methods study explored perceived differences in social support across three immigrant generations of early adolescents residing in Canada. A total of 960 first-generation ( n = 249, M age = 13.02, σ = .69, 54.2% girls), second-generation ( n = 327, M age = 12.88, σ = .69, 57.5% girls) and third-plus-generation ( n = 384, M age = 12.81, σ = .69, 57.3% girls) early adolescent immigrants completed the self-reported Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale, and 16 of them participated in individual interviews on social support. Multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA), in which we controlled for sex, mother tongue, and socioeconomic status (SES), showed that second-generation early adolescents perceived significantly less social support from their mother, teachers, school personnel, and classmates compared to their first- and/or third-plus-generation counterparts. Our mixed methods analysis revealed that these second-generation youth perceived several barriers to social support, such as an unsatisfactory quality of their relationships with these sources, a negative attitude from these sources, their limited availability or involvement, and their ineffectiveness in providing certain types of support. These findings highlight the importance of better understanding the unique challenges facing second-generation early adolescents in order to provide social support adapted to their needs.