Young People From Ethnic Minority Groups

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Adolescence is a crucial period of transition from the familial and social roles of childhood to the norms and responsibilities of adulthood. This paper focuses on adolescents of ethnic minority (AEM) who must cope with more than the common stresses of adolescence due to their disadvantageous circumstances. An EM will be defined as a group that have a different ethnicity, religion, language or culture to that of the majority of people in the place where they live, thus seen as the minority (Tartakovsky, 2009) . EM adolescents are ‘frequently marked by greater social hurdles than those experienced by non-minority young people’ (Wyn, 2004), placing them at a higher risk of emerging problems with health and wellbeing than an average Australian youth.

AEM face the task of dealing with issues of ‘self-identification, self-pride and ethnic validation along with the merging of ethnic, personal and group identity’ (William H. James, 2000). These issues contribute to risk and protective factor development distinguishable from a young person growing up in a normal context. Subsequently the ways by which these young people perceive and are able to deal with certain situations become a function of their environment and the resources that are available to them. ‘Ethnicity and minority status then become important factors for considering their role and influencing developmental outcomes’ (Brookins, 1993). It is through ethnic identity that the young person develops their own identity, how they see themselves in relation to others, and how to ‘negotiate their lives in many different social situations’ (Wyn, 2004). It is this ‘status’ in terms of ethnicity which the young person finds themselves, that may subject them to poor school performance, engaging in delinquent behaviour and poor health. As studies suggest AEM youth in ‘contemporary societies in Europe, North America and Australasia have been increasingly linked to crime, criminal groups and anti-social behaviour’ (Reid, 2009). For these young people peers become very important and adolescents try to define their identity based on affiliations with similar others, thus engaging in more risk associated behaviour striving for a sense of belonging dictated by culturally defined beliefs and expectations.

‘AEM are anticipated to have lower self-esteem’ (Heeseung Choi, 2006) both physically and mentally that emerges from the experience of being different and the struggle with cultural identity. Low self-esteem is a major contributor to additional stress which makes them vulnerable to the development of poor mental health. ‘AEM adolescents have shown increased risk of somatic symptoms, depression and suicidal ideation and require additional research and attention from health care providers’ (Heeseung Choi, 2006). Nonetheless, it should be noted that no research ‘identified culture and ethnicity alone as consequential influences on mental health; moreover, it was the social context in which young people lived that had the most significant impact on their mental health’ (Batch, 2002). Low self-esteem is also a contributor to behaviour problems at school and disengagement.

One of the main risk factors identified with AEM groups is racial/ethnic discrimination. ‘Ethnicity may function as a status characteristic and can lead to an imbalance of power, especially between members of AEM on the one hand and ethnic majority group members on the other’ (Miranda H.M. Vervoort, 2008). This refers to being ‘singled out for hostility, denigrated, or receiving unequal treatment because of one’s race or ethnicity’ (Contrada et al., 2009). For AEM groups this could mean increased exposure to peer bullying, victimisation and therefore social exclusion. Furthermore in Australia there is an increasing problem for specific AEM groups who have been negatively stereotyped, for example the media portrayal of Sudanese and Muslim adolescents’ affiliation with crime; reinvigorating racism and prejudice leading to further social exclusion. As a result this prevents these young people ‘from participating in education or training and gaining access to services’ (Marmot, 2003). The psychological impact of this experience can be significantly damaging resulting in increased risk of health and mental problems such as depression.

The influence of a low socioeconomic status places AEM in an environment with limited resources which in turn correlates with poor school performance. For most AEM, their families are confined to living in public housing and attending school in areas designated by the local governments. The poor performance of AEM students may also be a result of an ‘impoverished and restricted home life. The underlying theory is that "culturally deprived" or "socially disadvantaged" students do not achieve because they lack a cognitively stimulating environment’ (Tartakovsky, 2009) for example, a lack of parental support where low value is placed on education or a language-poor environment means a communication barrier exists between the service providers such as schools and the family or between the teachers and student. These factors can all become contributors to poor school performance, consequently limiting the prospects for the young person to escape poverty and increase the risk of delinquent behaviour. ‘Social organization, learning formats and expectations, communication patterns, and sociolinguistic environment of schools are incongruent with the cultural patterns of different ethnic groups, and therefore limit the opportunities for student success’ (State University, n.d.).

A risk factor that is employed by AEM as a way to deal with discrimination, bullying and social exclusion is the use of drugs (including tobacco) and alcohol. The emergence of such risk factor is consequently a coping mechanism. Despite the limited amount of studies that have been conducted on the influence of ethnic identity and drug use among AEM, studies that have looked at this relationship have found that ‘ethnic identity moderated the effects of alcohol and drug related experiences’ (William H. James, 2000) and development of high drug problems.

As a consequence of discriminatory or victimised status, AEM tend to develop protective factors, which includes a strong affiliation with their national identity. By identifying with and closely associating with young people who belong to the same ethnic culture and share the same belief systems, means that these young people can function as a group; ‘these groups then function as a defence ‘protection’ against experiences of racism and exclusion from the cultural mainstream…and is central to the public portrayal’ (Wyn, 2004) of these young people. According to Deng, et al. 2009, an individual’s identification with his/her culture functions as a psychological barrier against the consequences of discrimination since the ‘main function of national identity is to support the need for high self-esteem’ (Tartakovsky, 2009).

One of the most effective and important preventative factors that may diminish the outlined risks can be found if a stable and good relationship exists between the adolescent and their parents. Strong family unity and values may protect against substance abuse and depression since they provide and ‘encourage constructive coping’ (Raphael., 1996). Studies suggest that parents who actively discuss issues and experiences relevant to ethnic group membership are helping their children achieve active ethnic identity. Parents can provide knowledge about and pride in the accomplishments of their ethnic group as well as respect for other ethnic groups, which enable the adolescent to cope with discriminatory treatment.

As research increases into the health and well-being of AEM, governments are continually putting into place policies and intervention programmes to assist AEM and their families in adjusting to a new culture and way of life. Upon researching the policies and intervention programmes currently in place by the Australian Government it is evident that a wide array of services exist. These include a large network of health services, including mental health. Young mental health services, serve as a means of an early intervention in the prevention of mental health problems.

The Department of Education has also developed programmes in schools to assist these AEM in adjusting to the mainstream education system, such as bilingual education and providing special education teachers to assist with learning the language such as ESL. In addition social services including Centerlink and family services are in place to provide counselling and economic support. Professionals such as school counsellors, general practitioners, and youth workers were identified as key people as the first point of contact for these young people.

Despite the abundance of the aforementioned services, it was apparent that they were not used frequently and effectively by AEM. Research indicates that health services available to AEM are usually not utilised effectively and that ‘few adolescents received professional help and that when help was sought it was provided by general practitioners, school-based counsellors and paediatricians rather than psychiatrists with only a small number of young people accessed child and youth mental health services’ (Batch, 2002). The reasons for the lack of utilisation of these services included the possibility of perceived gender roles and stigma due to cultural beliefs for example, in many cultures family problems or concerns cannot be disclosed or discussed with outsiders. Other difficulties in accessing services are due to barriers with language and the perceived difficulties in approaching authorities.

It is clear that programmes addressing health issues, care and treatment are conducted within an Anglo-Australian framework. This framework looks at illness as a ‘cause and effect’ (Batch, 2002), however as the health issues that are emerging for these adolescents changes, it has signified that ‘there must be a shift from the treatment of infectious diseases to the effects of environmental and social factors’ (Batch, 2002). ‘At both a personal and a wider socio-political level, factors such as cultural practices, beliefs, values and institutions are thought to be important components of the illness experience’ (Waddell & Peterson 1994). The health and well-being of AEM is connected to and affected by family relations, the use of health services, peer relations, school influences and issues emanating from the migration process. Governments must address this area and provide effective health programs to support AEM.

Despite Australia being home to many ethnic, religious and language groups and the adoption of multiculturalism as ‘national policy over the last 35 years, it is only in the last decade that mental health services have attended to the issue of linguistic and cultural diversity as an important component of the National Standards for mental health service delivery’ (Harry Minas, 2007) this includes refugee services and bilingual clinics. Health services must also be sensitive to cultural and religious beliefs. ‘Religious beliefs and practices are customarily rooted in the codes and meanings of particular communities’ (Batch, 2002). As stated by Batch, 2002 "Australia's diverse ethnic communities embody many of the world's religions" and therefore sensitivity to and understanding of the culture and religious beliefs is integral to providing effective health services and an understanding of how these young people cope with problems. Therefore, the identification of the cultural values, behaviours, and beliefs that influence cultural adjustment may not only help mental health professionals understand how culture influences and affects mental health, but also how to deploy effective coping strategies.

Schools are an important factor that can impact on health and behaviours of young people. Teachers and school counsellors in many cases can be the gatekeepers for the initial assessment of mental health. Therefore it is essential to make use of the knowledge and practices of diverse cultures to be able to form effective connections with these adolescents. For all types of health and mental health problems, if young people want to talk to anyone, it is someone they know and trust, indicating that schools are an ideal and opportunistic setting in which to reach out to young people. ‘Within schools, teachers, school counsellors, and other welfare and pastoral care staff have a major role in recognising mental health problems and referring young people to appropriate services’ (Debra J Rickwood, 2007). A major initiative in Australia has been the development of partnerships between schools and general practice to improve young people’s access to mental health care. ‘School based interventions that create strong engagement between students and teachers and a feeling of emotional safety result in reduced substance misuse, violence and other antisocial behaviours’ (Susan M Sawyer, 2012). According to Debra J Rickwood (2007) ethnic adolescents may greatly benefit from participating in early intervention and prevention programs that promote self-esteem, stress resiliency, and positive-coping skills. Nonetheless, these early intervention and prevention programs must specifically target the primary needs of culturally diverse groups, and build upon existing strengths to ensure effective cultural adjustment.

As Australia’s population diversifies to encompass a wide range of ethnic groups, it is evident that the process of cross-cultural adjustment for AEM brings with it many challenges. This paper gives a generalised overview of the main risk and protective factors of adolescents of AEM however, because of the tremendous variation within any ethnic group, it would be inappropriate to assume that these generalizations are relevant to the needs and abilities of all adolescents belonging to a given ethnic group. Therefore for governments to successfully implement services and intervention programmes aimed at AEM, there needs to be an effective assessment of the health and well-being by considering the individual ethnic background, culture, religious beliefs and customs that encompass the young persons’ social context and how these contribute to the formation of their identity. This understanding can then be used to formulate policies and interventions that address the needs of AEM in developing effective protective factors to adapt to cross-cultural change.