‘Without family, I do not have a life’: transnational family dynamics of unaccompanied refugee adolescents

This study examines the transnational family dynamics of unaccompanied refugee adolescents in the Netherlands. Although physically separated, adolescents were able to maintain contact with their families through digital means, enabling the exchange of ideas and views across distances. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and participant observation, we argue that young people experienced a continued sense of ‘transnational family’, a reciprocal relationship whereby they both received and gave support. As adolescents’ lives in the Netherlands progressed, so did their sense of identity and belonging, meaning the aspirations of young people and their families could diverge. Furthermore, young people felt an evolving degree of responsibility for their families’ wellbeing, for example through preparations for an imagined future after family reunification. Feelings of inability in achieving family reunification negatively impacted young people’s wellbeing.