TY - JOUR
T1 - Loneliness, immigration background and self-identified ethnicity
T2 - a nationally representative study of adolescents in Denmark
AU - Madsen, Katrine Rich
AU - Damsgaard, Mogens Trab
AU - Jervelund, Signe Smith
AU - Christensen, Ulla
AU - Stevens, Gonneke G.W.J.M.
AU - Walsh, Sophie
AU - Koushede, Vibeke
AU - Nielsen, Line
AU - Due, Pernille
AU - Holstein, Bjørn E.
PY - 2016/9/25
Y1 - 2016/9/25
N2 - Migration is an increasing worldwide phenomenon that creates multicultural societies with a growing number of adolescents who have experienced a process of migration or who have an ethnic background other than that of the majority. Migration may lead to loss of social relations and create challenges related to acculturation in the new country. These experiences may induce feelings of loneliness. Research on ethnic and migrant disparities in loneliness among adolescents is limited and inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to examine how adolescents’ immigration background and self-identified ethnicity are associated, independently and combined, with loneliness. We used data from the Danish 2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey which included a representative sample of 3083 13- and 15-year-olds. The results suggest that immigrants but not descendants of immigrants have an increased risk of loneliness compared to adolescents with a Danish origin. The results also suggest that adolescents’ self-identified ethnicity plays an essential role but differently for immigrants and descendants: identifying with the Danish majority was protective against loneliness among immigrants, whereas identifying with an ethnic minority group was protective against loneliness among descendants.
AB - Migration is an increasing worldwide phenomenon that creates multicultural societies with a growing number of adolescents who have experienced a process of migration or who have an ethnic background other than that of the majority. Migration may lead to loss of social relations and create challenges related to acculturation in the new country. These experiences may induce feelings of loneliness. Research on ethnic and migrant disparities in loneliness among adolescents is limited and inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to examine how adolescents’ immigration background and self-identified ethnicity are associated, independently and combined, with loneliness. We used data from the Danish 2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey which included a representative sample of 3083 13- and 15-year-olds. The results suggest that immigrants but not descendants of immigrants have an increased risk of loneliness compared to adolescents with a Danish origin. The results also suggest that adolescents’ self-identified ethnicity plays an essential role but differently for immigrants and descendants: identifying with the Danish majority was protective against loneliness among immigrants, whereas identifying with an ethnic minority group was protective against loneliness among descendants.
KW - Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
KW - ensomhed
KW - Unge
KW - effektmodifikation
KW - indvandrer
KW - indvandrerbaggrund
KW - efterkommere
KW - selvidentificeret etnicitet
KW - Etniske minoriteter
KW - etniske minoritetsbørn
KW - Immigration
U2 - 10.1080/1369183X.2015.1137754
DO - 10.1080/1369183X.2015.1137754
M3 - Journal article
SN - 1369-183X
VL - 42
SP - 1977
EP - 1995
JO - Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
JF - Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
IS - 12
ER -
