Intergenerational relations of second-generation immigrants in Switzerland

Intergenerational relations have come to belong to the most important relations in the 21st century. Our Western societies have seen unprecedented immigration, with a considerable number of immigrants already belonging to the second generation. Contrary to their parents, who were socialized into one culture, the second-generation naturally gets acculturated into two cultures (i.e., the parent’s and the host country’s culture). This has important implications for the intergenerational relations of immigrants and their well-being. However, there are only few European studies investigating the role of acculturation in intergenerational relations and well-being in ethnically diverse samples of adult second-generation immigrants.
This dissertation had three goals: (1) to investigate feelings of indebtedness toward the parents, a new concept called sense of indebtedness toward the parents (SIP) in association to the established concepts of filial obligations and support exchange in intergenerational research. (2) to understand the role of acculturation for the consensus on filial obligations and its relevance for relationship quality and support exchange with parents. And (3) to shed light on the association of acculturation with well-being.
Study 1 suggested that SIP is a reliable and valid measure among second-generation immigrants and positively linked to filial obligations and support given to parents in line with the study hypotheses. Study 2 showed a mediating effect of the consensus on filial obligations on the association between the ethnic culture (i.e., the culture of the parents), but not the host culture and intergenerational relations. Mediation effects were significant among women, but not men. Study 3 demonstrated a positive link between acculturation and well-being. However, a high orientation toward either culture seemed to be more beneficial for well-being than a high orientation toward both cultures at the same time, contrary to the study hypothesis.
This dissertation suggests that a high orientation toward the ethnic culture seems to promote positive, intimate, and supportive intergenerational relations among second-generation immigrants. A high orientation toward the host culture might hinder good intergenerational relations, while fostering well-being. Taken together, this indicates, that both cultures play an important role in the immigrants’ lives. Navigating them successfully still poses a challenge to adult Swiss second-generation immigrants. Future studies should aim to investigate the importance of both cultures in specific contexts, to include further aspects of intergenerational relations in research and to study other minorities to draw a more conclusive picture of intergenerational relations.