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Chapter 6 - Family Relationships and Intra-family Expectations in Unaccompanied Young Refugees

from Part I - Refugee Family Relationships

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 August 2020

By
Ilse Derluyn  and
Winny Ang
Edited by
Lucia De Haene  and
Cécile Rousseau
Lucia De Haene
Affiliation:
University of Leuven, Belgium
Cécile Rousseau
Affiliation:
McGill University, Montréal
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Summary

Unaccompanied young refugees form a particular group amongst refugee children and adolescents. Although they are often identified as a homogenous group, they largely differ, such as in their educational backgrounds, migration motives and expectations, mental health status and wellbeing, and familial contexts. The process of familial separation throughout the migration trajectory and settlement process leads to complex and dynamic processes of searching for renewed equilibriums between new social networks in the host country, maintaining relationships with and receiving support from family members in the home country and meeting (supposed) expectations from and continuous caring for family members back home. Given the important of social support and family loyalties to the wellbeing of these young refugees, both practitioners and policy-makers need to take hold of these complex aspects in their daily care practices and policy-making.

Keywords

unaccompanied young refugeesfamily relationshipsfamily expectationsfamilial separationfamily dynamics
Type
Chapter
Information
Working with Refugee Families
Trauma and Exile in Family Relationships
 , pp. 103 - 116
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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