NCJ Number
225840
Journal
New Directions for Youth Development Issue: 119 Dated: Fall 2008 Pages: 129-150
Date Published
2008
Length
22 pages
Annotation
An investigation was undertaken on what accounts for violence and delinquency among immigrant youth and whether adopting a new identity was associated with normative social adjustment.
Abstract
Results of the study indicate that (1) adolescents who associated with delinquent peers were more likely to be involved in violent conduct; (2) recognition is a key variable in explaining youth violence; when recognition is not granted, the individuals may feel discriminated against due to their immigrant status; (3) family stress due to immigration and poor family functioning as a control agent, intergenerational conflicts that challenge parental authority, and downward mobility are considered indicators for social disintegration and are closely associated with violence; and (4) the ability of an individual to adopt at least one salient identity reduces the likelihood of violence, and youths who failed to adopt either an Israeli or a Russian identity were most likely to be involved in violence. Disintegration is found to be no more a result of poor internalization of the dominant culture than the inability to identify with either the ancestral or the nature culture. In a multicultural society, assimilation is not the best path to social adjustment. A strong identity, from either the old culture or the new one or both, serves as a source of recognition and a buffer against violence. The purpose of this study was to examine the link between the acculturation of immigrant youths and violence. The study was based on a national 3-wave, face-to-face survey, conducted between 2002 and 2005, among 1,420 adolescents who immigrated from the former Soviet Union to Israel during the years 1997 to 2003. 5 tables and 36 notes