The role of Bhutanese adolescent refugees' acculturation and familial social capital on their general well-being and school adjustment

Abstract

A drastic increase in the number of adolescent refugees displaced globally correlates with the rise of conflict, persecution, and generalized violence worldwide. Particularly noteworthy is the recent increase of Bhutanese refugee populations in the United States. Despite the increased number of Bhutanese refugees, specifically among adolescents resettled in the United States, surprisingly few studies address how these refugees adapt upon resettlement. This study aims to rectify, to some degree, the critical absence of scholarship that explores potential associations for familial social capital and acculturation variables on Bhutanese refugee adolescents’ school-level adjustment and general well-being. Indeed, this study examines the unique additive relationship of familial social capital on Bhutanese adolescent refugees’ school adjustment and general well-being over and above the effects of acculturation identity. Using a sample of Bhutanese adolescent refugees (N = 119) in a medium-sized city within the Mid-Atlantic region, a combination of descriptive statistics, correlations, and hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to assess the associations between variables. Results indicated significant positive associations between Bhutanese adolescents’ familial social capital quality, along with their ethnic identity, on their general well-being and school adjustment. Further, results supported a significant additive positive relationship between familial social capital and Bhutanese adolescents’ school adjustment beyond the effects of acculturation identity.