What are the Mental Health Implications of Enculturation Among Immigrant Children in Western Society
What are the Mental Health Implications of Enculturation Among Immigrant Children in Western Society
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Issue Date
2025-09-30
Authors
Naguib, Melanie
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Abstract
This paper is an in-depth analysis of the literature regarding the mental health implications of immigrant children due to enculturation. This project seeks to address the concern of immigrant children's under-resourced mental health services due to many identifying factors. Two questions guide the work: 1) What are the mental health implications of enculturation among immigrant children in Canada? 2)What are the barriers to immigrant children accessing mental health care in Canada? Data collection involved the critiquing of scholarly works from various databases from 2020-2025, while highlighting gaps in the research. Specific search parameters of “immigrant children” paired with several other terms that fit specific subthemes, and the use of thematic analysis was used. Results found that enculturation stress was linked to increased anxiety and depressive symptoms, while systemic discrimination reduced help-seeking (Elkchirid & Motia, 2021). This underutilization of mental health care is also impacted by cultural, linguistic, and religious variables, as well as stigma (Elkchirid & Motia, 2021). The implications for counselling involve raising awareness of the barriers immigrant children face in accessing mental health treatment and exploring how these barriers can be addressed and reframed to reduce negative mental health outcomes.
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Keywords
immigrant children , enculturation , western society , mental health
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States , openAccess