The psychosocial adjustment of Chinese adolescent immigrants in satellite families in Canada

This study examined the psychosocial adjustment of Chinese immigrant children in satellite families in Canada. I used Flanagan's (1954) Critical Incident Technique to interview 32 Chinese children who were between 10 and 19 years old, living in satellite families, and who emigrated from China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong to Canada within the last four years. All interviews were conducted in the respondents' mother tongue. The results showed that these children, whether they emigrated to Canada recently or four years ago, whether they were young or old, and whether they were males or females, were well adjusted. Many respondents reported that they have a better relationship with their parents, particularly with their fathers, than they had in their home countries. The findings also indicated that the present ESL system does not meet their educational needs. This analysis of satellite children should help indicate future research directions.