Adolescents from migrant families of Central Asia and the Transcaucasus: Coping strategies in challenging social interactions

Abstract

The Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra is one of the Russian regions which have seen a growing number of migrants over many years. Its developed oil industry serves as the main driver of labor migration for both Russian citizens and foreign nationals. As labor migration is on the increase, the number of children from migrant families attending educational institutions in the region is also rising. Currently, 3286 migrant children are enrolled in schools of the KhantyMansi Autonomous Okrug (KMAO). The following methods were used to investigate how adolescents from migrant families overcome difficulties with social interaction: the Series of Drawings and Stories method by I. M. Nikolskaya; the Coping Behavior in Stressful Situations method by R. Lazarus (adapted by T. L. Kryukova); and Pearson’s Chi-Square test. The sample consisted of 122 adolescents from migrant families studying in schools of the KMAO – Yugra: 60 from the Transcaucasus and 62 from Central Asia. Nikolskaya’s Series of Drawings and Stories method discovered no differences in the expression of styles used to overcome difficulties by adolescents from migrant families. The most pronounced style of overcoming social interaction difficulties in both groups was the victim one. The Coping Behavior in Stressful Situations method by R. Lazarus revealed statistically significant differences in the expression of avoidanceand emotion-oriented coping between adolescents from migrant families of Central Asia and the Transcaucasus. Migrant adolescents from Transcaucasian countries tend towards emotion-oriented coping, while adolescents from Central Asia prefer avoidance strategies.