'Between father- and motherland'; extra identity problems for adolescents whose parents diff er in nationality
A study of 20 adolescents with parents from different nationalities, admitted for residential treatment in the Youth Psychiatry Clinic 'Amstelland'. 70% of them were psychotic, significantly more frequent than in the normal population of this clinic (28%). Several case histories are given as examples of the various ways a whole family may react to this extra stress laid upon them.
For the adolescent it means an extra problem in his identity-formation. The literature gives no examples of these specific problems, more attention is given to problems of migration and acculturation.
We think that these adolescents with parents of different nationalities are particularly vulnerable as regards their identity-formation, although the possibility to use this background as an extra stimulus for growth should not be forgotten.