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During 2015 and 2016 more people applied for asylum in Germany than in any other year since World War II, in 2015 31% of them younger than 18 years. Since then, many discussions focus on the successful adaption of those adolescent refugees to the German society. In cross-cultural psychology the concept of acculturation is used to explain adaption to new cultural settings by stating that individuals with ongoing contact to members of another culture will use different strategies to handle differences in values, norms, and behaviors. Accordingly, depending on their orientation towards the culture of origin or the culture of the host country, refugees choose, for example to adopt or reject a value from the other culture, with the additional possibility of combining or rejecting both. This process of acculturation is associated with characteristics of the surrounding cultures and the individual person. In contrast, public debates often focus on the differences between values as hindrance for a successful adaption. These discussions often lack empirical data on the actual values held by refugees and neglect to consider the heterogeneity of the population of refugees. Therefore, the aim of this study is to shed light on the orientation towards their culture of origin and host culture of n = 102 adolescents (MAge= 14.52 years, SDAge = 1.89) who arrived in Germany as refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, or Iraq and their association with their gender role attitudes. Gender Role Attitudes were chosen because they are among the values frequently mentioned in public debates. Multiple regression models were computed to investigate possible associations between age, gender, length of stay, country of origin, and acculturation orientation of adolescents with a refugee background and their attitudes towards gender roles to gain insight into factors associated with the gender role attitudes held by adolescent refugees in Germany.

Background Young Middle Eastern male refugees are currently among the most vulnerable groups in Europe. Most of them have experienced potentially traumatic events (PTEs) such as rape, torture, or violent assaults. Compared to their peers, young refugees suffer more from internalizing and externalizing symptoms, especially when unaccompanied. Little is known about the cumulative impact of experiencing different types of PTEs on mental health outcomes (polytraumatization) of young male refugees from the Middle East. We investigated (1) whether there is a dose–response relationship between multiple PTE types experienced and mental health outcomes, (2) whether individual types of PTEs are particularly important, and (3) to what extent these are differentially associated with mental health outcomes among unaccompanied or accompanied peers. Methods In total, 151 young Middle Eastern male refugees in Germany (Mage = 16.81 years, SDage = 2.01) answered questionnaires on PTEs, mental health, and post-migration stress. Results Hierarchical regression analyses revealed, while controlling for age, duration of stay, unaccompanied status, and post-migration stress, (1) a dose–effect between PTE types on both internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Moreover, (2) regarding internalizing symptoms, violent family separation and experiencing life-threatening medical problems were particularly crucial. The latter was driven by unaccompanied refugees, who also reported higher levels of substance use. Conclusions The results extend findings from the literature and suggest that not only may greater polytraumatization be related to greater depression among refugees, but also to a range of other mental health outcomes from the internalizing and externalizing symptom domains. Furthermore, the results highlight the mental health risks that unaccompanied and accompanied refugee adolescents face after exposure to PTEs, and provide information for practitioners as well as researchers about event types that may be particularly relevant. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13034-021-00428-9.

During the last years, the number of refugees around the world increased to about 22.5 million. The mental health of refugees, especially of unaccompanied minors (70% between the ages of 16 and 18 years) who have been exposed to traumatic events (e.g., war), is generally impaired with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Several studies revealed (1) a huge variation among the prevalence rates of these mental problems, and (2) that post-migration stressors (e.g., language barriers, cultural differences) might be at least as detrimental to mental health as the traumatic events in pre- and peri-flight. As psychotherapy is a limited resource that should be reserved for severe cases and as language trainings are often publicly offered for refugees, we recommend focusing on intercultural competence, emotion regulation, and goal setting and goal striving in primary support programs: Intercultural competence fosters adaptation by giving knowledge about cultural differences in values and norms. Emotion regulation regarding empathy, positive reappraisal, and cultural differences in emotion expression fosters both adaptation and mental health. Finally, supporting unaccompanied refugee minors in their goal setting and goal striving is necessary, as they carry many unrealistic wishes and unattainable goals, which can be threatening to their mental health. Building on these three psychological processes, we provide recommendations for primary support programs for unaccompanied refugee minors that are aged 16 to 18 years.

Abstract. Background: Religiosity can foster mental health after traumatic experiences. Yet, religiosity among Muslim immigrants has also been linked to separation-oriented acculturation, which is linked to reduced mental health. Therefore, the function of religiosity for resilience in Middle Eastern refugee and immigrant adolescents might differ as their migration contexts differ in terms of traumatic experiences and the nature of cultural interactions . Aims: This study examined whether religiosity is associated with better mental health after traumatic experiences, particularly among young refugees. In addition, it was explored whether religiosity is associated with better mental health among refugees through less marginalization and whether religious immigrant peers show worse mental health through stronger separation. Method: 135 adolescents ( MAge = 18.25 years, SD = 1.73; nrefugees = 75, nimmigrants = 60) completed self-reports on religiosity, mental health, trauma, and acculturation orientations. Regression analyses were calculated examining group-specific differences in potential moderating effects of religiosity on the relationship between trauma exposures and internalizing symptoms. Furthermore, potential indirect effects of religiosity on internalizing symptoms via acculturation orientations were investigated. Results: Stronger religiosity was associated with better mental health following trauma exposure. No group-specific differences were observed. While religious refugee adolescents reported less marginalization associated with fewer internalizing symptoms, religious immigrant peers reported more separation and internalizing symptoms. Limitations: Results are limited to male Muslim adolescents in Germany. The cross-sectional nature prohibits any implications for causal dynamics in the associations. Conclusion: Religiosity is generally protective against post-traumatic consequences, but associations with acculturation differ across migration contexts.

Objective This study examined the mental health of Middle Eastern male unaccompanied refugee adolescents in Germany in relation to the mental health of accompanied refugee peers, first- and second-generation immigrant and native peers. In particular, it was investigated whether differences in the mental health of unaccompanied and accompanied refugees and immigrant peers were related to differences in the perception of post-migration stress, and whether this association changed with different acculturation orientations. Method In a cross-sectional study, 193 adolescents (Mage = 18.1 years, SD = 1.74 years; nrefugees = 74, nmigrants = 59, nnatives = 60) completed self-report measures of mental health, trauma, acculturation styles, and post-migration stress. Results Analyses of variance revealed that unaccompanied refugees suffered most from internalizing and trauma symptoms, while accompanied peers, first- and second-generation immigrant and native adolescents did not differ significantly in internalizing symptoms. Hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that more integrated adolescents were generally associated with lower internalizing symptoms and integration also buffered against detrimental effects of post-migration stressors. Marginalized adolescents showed more internalizing symptoms, especially in the lights of more post-migration stress. Both assimilation and separation had no direct effects on internalizing symptoms. However, assimilation buffered against detrimental effects of post-migration stress on internalizing symptoms, whereas separation amplified these effects. Conclusion An involvement in host society and an orientation towards the host culture fosters mental health of acculturating Middle Eastern adolescents in Germany when post-migration stress is perceived, particularly for unaccompanied refugee adolescents. Moreover, additionally maintaining the culture of origin seems to be in general most beneficial.