Parenting and psychological adjustment of adolescent immigrants in Israel

Parental and familial factors and their association with adolescents' mental health were
examined among former Soviet Union (FSU) immigrants and nonimmigrants in Israel.
Questionnaires regarding parental control, inconsistency, and rejection, in addition to
adolescent-family connectedness and psychological disorders, were administered to 83 FSU
immigrants and 106 nonimmigrant adolescents. According to the results, FSU adolescents are
less connected to their families, experience their parents as less warm and more inconsistent
in their childrearing behavior, report that their mothers subject them to a higher level of
control, and the psychological disorders among them are more widespread than among
nonimmigrant adolescents. Maternal control, maternal temporal inconsistency, and maternal
and paternal rejection were associated with psychological disorders only among nonimmigrant
adolescents. No such association was found among FSU adolescents, suggesting that
FSU mental health problems are associated with immigration and cultural and social factors,
rather than parental and familial factors. A comprehensive intervention program is required
to provide support and assistance to help immigrants overcome their psychological distresses.