A qualitative investigation of former Taiwanese unaccompanied minors’ culture‐based conflicts with parents

The purposes of the study were to investigate (a) the role Taiwanese culture played during former unaccompanied minors’ transition to the US, (b) the type of acculturation conflicts with parents they experienced, and (c) how they managed them. Five former Taiwanese unaccompanied minors who remained in the US, and four who have returned to Taiwan after completing their education, were interviewed. Results demonstrated that there were no distinct differences between the two subsamples. The majority of the participants reported that Taiwanese culture was meaningful for them during the transition. Many of them reported feeling closer to their parents after immigration, experienced various types of acculturation conflicts, and became more flexible in how they managed these conflicts over time. Adherence to native culture appears to be psychologically protective, and acculturation conflict with parents may be adequately managed despite the long‐term physical separation. Practitioner points Accessing one’s native community and culture may be particularly helpful for unaccompanied minors during adolescence Physical separation from parents among this population may or may not be predictive of family functioning Some unaccompanied minors may use avoidance in order to manage acculturation conflict with parents, which may be out of convenience Marriage and relationships are the primary source of acculturation conflict for this population in adulthood