Being alone or becoming lonely? The complexity of portraying ‘unaccompanied children’ as being alone in Sweden

Bibliographic Data

ID12601006
AuthorsM Herz (0000-0002-6555-3875, Malmö University), Philip Lalander (0000-0001-9304-2792, Malmö University, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume20
Issue8
Pages1062-1076
Publication date2017-03-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Youth Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1367-6261 • E-ISSN: 1469-9680
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13676261.2017.1306037
OpenAlexW2601962866
LanguageEN
Citations received41
References cited29

Research has largely focused on ‘unaccompanied minors’ as a vulnerable group at risk of developing psychological problems that affect their health. Separation from primary caregivers is considered one of the foremost reasons for these young people’s proposed loneliness. Thus, the official and ascribed identity is that they are lonely and that loneliness is their major problem. But research has seldom given the young people themselves an opportunity to express their views in an attempt to trace the often situational, dynamic and complex nature of social and emotional life. The present article analyses how ‘unaccompanied minors’ talk about everyday life and themes related to loneliness. The authors followed 23 ‘unaccompanied minors’ during a period of a year through ethnographic observations and qualitative interviews. Results: Loneliness may occur when these young people experience lack of control in managing life and when they feel no one grieves for them; loneliness may be dealt with by creating new social contacts and friends; loneliness may be reinforced or reduced in encounters with representatives from ‘the system’; the young people may experience frustration about being repeatedly labeled ‘unaccompanied’ and they may create a resistance to and critical reflexivity towards this labeling

Developmental psychology · Ethnography · Everyday life · Identity (music · Loneliness · Qualitative research · Reflexivity · Situational ethics · Sociology · Family Support in Illness · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Social Psychology · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics