Emotional and relational realms of unaccompanied migrant adolescents: an approach to their lived experiences

Abstract

After the arrivals of unaccompanied migrant adolescents to Spain reached their peak in 2018, the trends have varied in the last few years, significantly decreasing in 2019 and slowly starting to increase again in 2020. These adolescents represent one of the most vulnerable groups due to their unique characteristics closely linked with the stressors encountered in their migratory process and the host society. All these experiences have been found to affect their well-being in different domains; however, very little is known about their perception of the matter, which is critical to understanding their needs and perspectives. This paper aims to look into the lived experiences of these children and how this process has affected their relational and emotional spheres, which are paramount to their development, especially during adolescence. These experiences were gathered using qualitative methodology consisting of interviews and focus groups conducted in a reception centre for unaccompanied migrant children in Catalonia. The view of these children is enriched with the contributions of the staff working in the reception centre. Analysis of the verbatims yielded six main topics revolving around frustrated expectations, obtention of legal documents, freedom, contact with the Spanish society, family and mental health. These are discussed considering how they affect emotional and relational well-being in the three stages of the migration process.