A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Factors Promoting Intergenerational Resilience in Adolescent Youth with Refugee Status

Background: Adolescent youth occupy a critical and complex position in refugee families who resettle in a third country. Objectives: We examined the potential impact of health-and family-related factors on the social and behavioral adjustment outcomes of refugee adolescent youth. Methods: Situated within an explanatory sequential mixed methods study, we used unadjusted and adjusted multinomial logistic regression to identify trauma, health, and socioecological characteristics of war-affected families associated with social and behavioral adjustment in 72 Karen adolescent youth resettled in the United States. Results: Factors related to the health and well-being of war-affected families, including parent mental and physical health, youth-reported family function, housing, and parent employment demonstrated important associations with youth adjustment. Conclusion: These findings, originating within the complex dynamics of resettled war-affected families, demonstrated the interconnectedness of adolescent and parent experiences and opportunities to advance resilience in youth navigating integration and supporting their families through those same processes.