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Ethnic minority adolescents receive not only less formal mental health services than their ethnic majority peers but also less school-based mental health services. Little is known about the extent to which adolescents indicate their teachers help them with their mental health problems. The aim of the current study was to investigate ethnic differences in teacher-provided informal help for adolescents' internalizing problems, and whether these could be explained by differences in teacher-reported internalizing problems and teacher-adolescent relationship quality. A sample of adolescents at risk of internalizing problems and their teachers participated in the study (n = 229). Adolescents originated from four ethnic groups in the Netherlands: three ethnic minority groups (Surinamese Dutch, Turkish Dutch, Moroccan Dutch) and the ethnic majority (native Dutch). Results showed that only Moroccan Dutch adolescents reported considerably less informal help from their teachers for their internalizing problems than native Dutch adolescents, whereas Turkish Dutch and Surinamese Dutch adolescents were not found to differ from native Dutch adolescents. Teacher-student relationship quality and teacher-reported internalizing problems could not explain the differences in informal help between Moroccan Dutch and Dutch adolescents. Teachers reported significantly higher levels of conflict in their relationships with Moroccan Dutch than native Dutch adolescents, and for Moroccan Dutch adolescents, higher levels of conflict were associated with lower levels of informal help by the teacher.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) profoundly affects multiple life domains for the people involved. We report on the experiences of Dutch mothers of various ethnic backgrounds regarding their parenting during and after IPV, their perceptions of the influence of IPV on their parenting, as well as their need for and experiences with support services. We conducted qualitative interviews with 100 mothers in the Netherlands who had experienced IPV. Most reported negative experiences with parenting (both during and after the IPV), a strong effect of the IPV on their parenting, as well as circumstances that aggravated this effect. The mothers had used multiple sources of formal and informal support. Although most evaluated the support that they had received positively, some also mentioned mixed or negative experiences. Many were still in need of support. Relationships with ethnic background and the severity of IPV are discussed., Author(s): Trees Pels[sup.1] [sup.2] , Floor Barbera van Rooij[sup.3] , Marjolijn Distelbrink[sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2) Verwey Jonker Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands (3) University of [...]

Using data from the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study (NKPS) and combining a quantitative approach and a qualitative approach (N = 8,148 and n = 43, respectively), this study investigates the mechanisms associated with a lack of acceptance by one's family. From the total NKPS sample, 12.1% did not feel (entirely) accepted by their family. The authors hypothesized that people may not feel accepted by their family when they are "difficult," for example, by exhibiting personal problems; another reason might be that they are "different," for instance, because they have made nontraditional life course transitions or differ from their parents in educational level or religious preference. Both quantitative and qualitative results confirm the first hypothesis rather than the second. Qualitative results revealed a gender difference in the mechanisms associated with a lack of acceptance by one's family as well as differences in the resilience of those who had had a difficult family background. (Contains 2 tables.)

This study explores the relationship of parenting to internalizing and externalizing problems in Moroccan immigrant youth in the Netherlands. Interviews were conducted with 713 Moroccan immigrant parents, using the Child Behavior Checklist and the Nijmegen Rearing Questionnaire. Child rearing varied with socioeconomic status and psychological acculturation level of the parent, and gender and age of the child. In accordance with studies in Western populations, high levels of affection and monitoring were associated with low levels of problem behavior and high levels of discipline were associated with high levels of problem behavior. However, in contrast to studies in Western populations, a positive relationship was revealed between affection and discipline, and the univariate associations between discipline and problem behavior were modest. Discipline and internalizing problems were unrelated in low SES families, whereas a positive relationship was found in high SES families. The relationship between monitoring and externalizing problems was age-specific: We found a negative association for adolescents and no association for children.

In common with other European countries, the Dutch government has pursued an active educational policy on migrants and minorities focusing on integration. This article presents the results of a study into the objectives and results of this policy between 1970 and 2002. Were the desired objectives achieved or were the outcomes of the educational policy the opposite of what was intended? To what extent did the integration policy in the Netherlands get a chance to take effect or was it abandoned before it had the opportunity to succeed? Firstly, the different assumptions and focal points of the Dutch educational policy regarding migrants and minorities in the past 30 years are discussed. Secondly, the educational position of the various ethnic groups is analysed. To conclude, we give an answer to the question regarding the extent to which the objectives of the educational policy on migrants and minorities were achieved and then go on to discuss the extent to which the integration policy of the central government in the field of education can be evaluated as successful.

The gender specificity of the relation between acculturation and problem behavior in Moroccan immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands was examined. Three previously identified classes of adolescents with similar patterns of acculturation were used: an integrated, separated, and ambivalent class. Girls with an ambivalent acculturation pattern showed more problems than the other girls on parent- and adolescent-reported internalizing and externalizing behavior. For boys, no effects of acculturation on problem behavior were found. The high number of conflicts between parents and their ambivalently acculturated daughters partly explained the relation between acculturation and problem behavior. The findings emphasized that gender and parent-child conflict should be considered when attempting to understand the complex relation between acculturation and problem behavior. Keywords: internalizing and externalizing problems; acculturation; adolescents; Moroccans

Psychological acculturation patterns within a Moroccan adult and adolescent population in the Netherlands were determined through latent class analysis. The Psychological Acculturation Scale (PAS) was adapted, and strong psychometric properties were demonstrated. We found Dutch and Moroccan Psychological Acculturation Subscales (D-PAS; M-PAS). Three classes with similar patterns of acculturation were revealed for both populations. One class showed medium scores on the D-PAS and M-PAS items and one class revealed a pattern with high scores on the M-PAS and medium to high scores on the D-PAS items. The third class was characterized by low scores on the D-PAS and high scores on the M-PAS items. These acculturation classes were shown to be meaningful constructs and yield detailed information about acculturation. Keywords: psychological acculturation; latent class analysis; Moroccan immigrants

Patterns of fathering among Moroccan Muslim families in the Netherlands are discussed. Topics include parenting from a cultural-ecological perspective, motherhood in relation to ideology and emancipation, cultural change and preservation after migration, fathering within Moroccan families in the Netherlands, ideals of parenthood and role division, and the actual division of family tasks.

Abstract Background In the Netherlands, youths of Moroccan origin account for a disproportionately large percentage of the population in juvenile justice institutions. Previous research showed that Moroccan adolescents in pre-trial arrest are characterized by less serious offending behavior (i.e., primarily property-based) and lower levels of mental health problems than native Dutch adolescents in pre-trial arrest. To date, little is known about the parent-child relationship of these adolescents. This study examines the mother-son relationships of Moroccan and native Dutch delinquent adolescents and their association with adolescent delinquency. Methods In the present study, differences in the mother-son relationship characteristics between families of incarcerated (N = 129) and non-incarcerated (N = 324) adolescents were examined, and it was analyzed if these differences between incarcerated and non-incarcerated adolescents were the same for Moroccans and native Dutch. Data collection for the incarcerated sample took place from 2006 to 2008. Comparison data were used of interviews conducted with mothers originating from former larger studies in the general Dutch population. Latent Class Analysis was performed in order to identify types of mother-son relationship. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify the relationships between mother-son relationship types, incarceration and ethnicity. Results A three class model of mother-son relationship types was found: a low-conflict mother-son relationship type, a high-conflict mother-son relationship type, and a neglectful mother-son relationship type. Compared to the native Dutch adolescents, Moroccans (both in the incarcerated and non-incarcerated population) more often showed a neglectful mother-son relationship type. For Moroccans, no differences in mother-son relationship types were found between the incarcerated and non-incarcerated adolescents, whereas considerable differences occurred between the native Dutch incarcerated and non-incarcerated adolescents. Conclusions Our findings indicate that mother-son relationship types of incarcerated Moroccan adolescents and non-incarcerated Moroccan adolescents are rather comparable. These findings are in line with previous studies which revealed the less problematic profile of Moroccan adolescents in pre-trial arrest in the Netherlands compared to native Dutch adolescents in pre-trial arrest.

The situational approach to ethnic identity with regard to migrants in the Netherlands is examined. This approach says that ethnicity is continuously created and can only be understood in relation to both past experience and specific political, economic, and social processes. (RM)

Ethnic minority adolescents receive not only less formal mental health services than their ethnic majority peers but also less school-based mental health services. Little is known about the extent to which adolescents indicate their teachers help them with their mental health problems. The aim of the current study was to investigate ethnic differences in teacher-provided informal help for adolescents' internalizing problems, and whether these could be explained by differences in teacher-reported internalizing problems and teacher–adolescent relationship quality. A sample of adolescents at risk of internalizing problems and their teachers participated in the study (n = 229). Adolescents originated from four ethnic groups in the Netherlands: three ethnic minority groups (Surinamese Dutch, Turkish Dutch, Moroccan Dutch) and the ethnic majority (native Dutch). Results showed that only Moroccan Dutch adolescents reported considerably less informal help from their teachers for their internalizing problems than native Dutch adolescents, whereas Turkish Dutch and Surinamese Dutch adolescents were not found to differ from native Dutch adolescents. Teacher–student relationship quality and teacher-reported internalizing problems could not explain the differences in informal help between Moroccan Dutch and Dutch adolescents. Teachers reported significantly higher levels of conflict in their relationships with Moroccan Dutch than native Dutch adolescents, and for Moroccan Dutch adolescents, higher levels of conflict were associated with lower levels of informal help by the teacher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intergroup attitudes of Muslim immigrant youth and native youth in the Netherlands were examined in relation to perceived parental socialization. Our aim was to gain insights into parent-child (dis)similarity in antagonistic and egalitarian attitudes and to understand differences between these two groups in this respect. Data come from qualitative interviews with 22 Turkish Dutch, Moroccan Dutch, and native Dutch youth (aged 16-22) who were prone either to intergroup antagonism (i.e., held hostile and negative attitudes toward out-groups) or to egalitarianism (held egalitarian attitudes). Interviews were analyzed using the constant comparison method. Results show that in the majority youth group, egalitarianism as well as intergroup antagonism were quite comparable across two generations. The attitudes of Muslim minority youth diverged more from those of their parents and appeared to be related to the pedagogic relationship between parents and children. Minority youth prone to antagonism perceived a lack of adequate parental responses to their negative experiences in the context of Islamophobia. Egalitarian minority youth reported that their parents were quite sensitive to their communications about perceived exclusion and that they responded with advice and support. Findings are discussed with reference to the social learning theory and the ethnic socialization strategies identified by Hughes et al. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies and intervention programs on interparental violence have relied largely on reports either solely from parents or solely from children. Nevertheless, the literature and the theoretical background provide indications of the existence of discrepancies between the narratives of parents and those of children. This study therefore focuses on similarities and differences between the narratives of mothers and those of their children with regard to the children's exposure to interparental violence and its impact on child and parental functioning. In depth open interviews were conducted to assess the narratives of 36 mothers (27-59 years of age) and 43 of their children (17 boys and 26 girls; 9-25 years of age) who had experienced interparental violence in their past. A hierarchical coding system was used to code the interviews. Thereafter, the differences between mother and child narratives were analyzed based on the coded fragments. Few differences were found between the narratives with regard to parental functioning. We did find discrepancies, however, with regard to the children's exposure to interparental violence and its impact on child functioning. Exploratory analyses showed relationships between the discrepancies and the severity of the violence and age of the children. More attention to these differences is essential in order to enhance our knowledge concerning the complex impact of violence on family members and to improve support geared to their specific needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]