Migration and Settlement

Black migrant youths in Canada face settlement issues. Our research helps to identify the problems with settlement so we can improve the well-being of Black Canadians. The traumas before during and after migration can stay with youths and make their settlement and integration experiences more difficult.

Changes in socioeconomic status, especially when parents are not qualified for the same job as they had before, can be a further hinderance to integration. Cultural and language barriers stand in the way of access to available services. Our researchers want to collaborate with these Black youths to find solutions that work.

Abada, T., Hou, F., & Ram, B. (2009). Ethnic differences in educational attainment among the children of Canadian immigrants. Canadian Journal of Sociology, 34(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.29173/cjs1651

Adrien, A., Boivin, J. F., Hankins, C., Leaune, V., Tousignant, Y., & Tremblay, J. (1993). Use of qualitative and quantitative methods to study attitudes related to AIDS among Montrealers of Haitian origin. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8358695/

Aiko Bruce, A., Witol, A., Alvadj-Korenic, T., Mayan, M., Greenslade, H., Plaha, M., & Venner, M. A. (2018). “a complex interface: Exploring sickle cell disease from a parent’s perspective, after moving from Sub-Saharan Africa to North America.” Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, 35(7–8), 373–384. https://doi.org/10.1080/08880018.2018.1541948

Amin, M., & Perez, A. (2012). Is the wait-for-patient-to-come approach suitable for African newcomers to Alberta, Canada? Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 40(6), 523–531. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0528.2012.00698.x

Anderson, K. K., McKenzie, K. J., & Kurdyak, P. (2017). Examining the impact of migrant status on ethnic differences in mental health service use preceding a first diagnosis of schizophrenia. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 52(8), 949–961. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-017-1403-z

Blanchet, R., Sanou, D., Batal, M., Nana, C. P., & Giroux, I. (2017). Draw and tell: Dietary acculturation as lived by Black Immigrant Children of African and Caribbean descent residing in Canada. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 49(10), 838–846. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2017.05.355

Blanchet, R., Sanou, D., Nana, C. P., Pauzé, E., Batal, M., & Giroux, I. (2016). Strategies and challenges in recruiting black immigrant mothers for a community-based study on Child Nutritional Health in Ottawa, Canada. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 19(2), 367–372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0536-6

Briggs, A. Q. (2017). Second generation Caribbean black male youths discuss obstacles to educational and employment opportunities: A critical race counter-narrative analysis. Journal of Youth Studies, 21(4), 533–549. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2017.1394997

Collins, T., & Magnan, M.-O. (2018). Post-Secondary Pathways among Second-Generation Immigrant Youth of Haitian Origin in Quebec. Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne de l’éducation, 41(2), 413–440. https://www.jstor.org/stable/90025220

Francis, J., & Yan, M.-C. (2016). Bridging the gaps: Access to formal support services among young African immigrants and refugees in Metro Vancouver. Canadian Ethnic Studies, 48(1), 77–100. https://doi.org/10.1353/ces.2016.0010

Goitom, M. (2017). “Bridging several worlds”: The process of identity development of second-generation Ethiopian and Eritrean Young Women in Canada. Clinical Social Work Journal, 46(3), 236–248. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-017-0620-y

Hamilton, H. A., Owusu-Bempah, A., Boak, A., & Mann, R. E. (2017). Ethnoracial differences in cannabis use among native-born and foreign-born high school students in Ontario. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 17(2), 123–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332640.2017.1312655

Hamilton, H. A., van der Maas, M., Boak, A., & Mann, R. E. (2013). Subjective social status, immigrant generation, and cannabis and alcohol use among adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(7), 1163–1175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-0054-y

Hassan, O., Genoe, R., Salm, T., Kikulwe, D., & Johnson, S. (2021). Barriers and facilitators of active living: Experiences of recently immigrated West African Children in Saskatchewan, Canada. The International Journal of Health, Wellness, and Society, 11(2), 103–120. https://doi.org/10.18848/2156-8960/cgp/v11i02/103-120

Kamanzi, P. C. (2023). Pathways of Black Immigrant Youth in Québec from secondary school to university: Cumulative racial disadvantage and compensatory advantage of resilience. Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue Canadienne de Sociologie, 60(3), 409–437. https://doi.org/10.1111/cars.12446

Litchmore, R. V., Safdar, S., & O’Doherty, K. (2015). Ethnic and racial self-identifications of second-generation Canadians of African and Caribbean Heritage. Journal of Black Psychology, 42(3), 259–292. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798414568454

MacPherson, D. W., Zencovich, M., & Gushulak, B. D. (2006). Emerging pediatric HIV epidemic related to migration. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 12(4), 612–617. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1204.051025

Magnan, M. O., Pilote, A., Collins, T., & Kamanzi, P. C. (2019). Discours de jeunes issus de groupes minoritaires sur les inégalités scolaires au Québec. Diversité urbaine, 19, 93-114. https://crires.ulaval.ca/publication/61a6d84e036ba74f16368c6a

Mason, A., Salami, B., Fouché, C., Richter, S., Sibeko, L., & Adekola, S. (2022). Aspirations, Schooling Experiences, and Educational Outcomes of African Migrant Children in Canada. Canadian Ethnic Studies 54(2), 1-21. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/ces.2022.0013.

Matheson, K., Jorden, S., & Anisman, H. (2007). Relations between trauma experiences and psychological, physical and neuroendocrine functioning among Somali refugees: Mediating role of coping with acculturation stressors. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 10(4), 291–304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-007-9086-2

Mondain, N., & Lardoux, S. (2012). Transitions to adulthood among first generation Sub-Saharan African immigrant adolescents in Canada: Evidence from a qualitative study in Montreal. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 14, 307–326. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-012-0240-x

Msofe, J. (2020). The importance of mentorship support for African refugee students in Ontario Secondary Schools. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 15(1), 10–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/15595692.2020.1795637

Mulatris, P., & Liboy, M. G. (2010). La conciliation travail-études: défis et réalité pour les jeunes élèves africains noirs de Brooks. Canadian Ethnic Studies, 41(3), 191-205.

Mulatris, P., & Liboy, M. G. (2020). Autour de la diversité des orientations sexuelles: regard croisé Afrique-Canada parmi les jeunes francophones issus de l’immigration africaine subsaharienne. Canadian Ethnic Studies, 52(1), 73-93. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340595739_Autour_de_la_diversite_des_orientations_sexuelles_regard_croise_Afrique Canada_parmi_les_jeunes_francophones_issus_de_l’immigration_africaine_subsaharienne

Navara, G. S., & Lollis, S. (2009). How adolescent children of African Jamaican immigrants living in Canada perceive and negotiate their roles within a matrifocal family. Family Process, 48(3), 441–458. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2009.01294.x

Ndengeyingoma, A., Montigny, F. de, & Miron, J.-M. (2013). Development of Personal Identity Among Refugee Adolescents. Journal of Child Health Care, 18(4), 369–377. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367493513496670

Ngobi, J. B., Pottie, K., Leonard, L., Tugwell, P., Hoffman, S., & Welch, V. (2020). Multi-level barriers to reaching HIV testing among young heterosexual African migrants from HIV-endemic countries in Ottawa. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 29(1), 79–93. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjhs.2019-0033

Nyika, L. (2022). African immigrant students’ participation in Canadian health-promoting schools. Health Education Journal, 81(4), 399–412. https://doi.org/10.1177/00178969221087679

Olawo, O., Pilkington, B., & Khanlou, N. (2019b). Identity-related factors affecting the mental health of African immigrant youth living in Canada. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19(3), 701–713. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-019-00177-z

Rousseau, C., Hassan, G., Measham, T., & Lashley, M. (2008). Prevalence and correlates of conduct disorder and problem behavior in Caribbean and Filipino immigrant adolescents. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 17(5), 264–273. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-007-0640-1

Salami, B., Alaazi, D. A., Ibrahim, S., Yohani, S., Scott, S. D., Vallianatos, H., Urichuk, L., & Islam, B. (2021). African immigrant parents’ perspectives on the factors influencing their children’s mental health. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 31(1), 142–154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02130-y

Schroeter, S., & James, C. E. (2014). “we’re here because we’re black”: The schooling experiences of French-speaking African-Canadian students with refugee backgrounds. Race Ethnicity and Education, 18(1), 20–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2014.885419

Stewart, M., Kushner, K. E., Dennis, C., Kariwo, M., Letourneau, N., Makumbe, K., Makwarimba, E., & Shizha, E. (2017). Social Support Needs of Sudanese and Zimbabwean refugee new parents in Canada. International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, 13(2), 234–252. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijmhsc-07-2014-0028

Van Der Ven, E., Bourque, F., Joober, R., Selten, J., & Malla, A. K. (2012). Comparing the Clinical Presentation of First-Episode Psychosis across Different Migrant and Ethnic Minority Groups in Montreal, Quebec. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 57(5), 300–308. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674371205700505

Wilson-Forsberg, S., Masakure, O., Shizha, E. et al. (2019). Great Expectations: Perspectives of Young West African Immigrant Men Transitioning to the Canadian Labour Market Without Postsecondary Education. Int. Migration & Integration 21, 1309–1328 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-019-00718-4

Woodgate, R. L., & Busolo, D. S. (2021). African refugee youth’s experiences of navigating different cultures in Canada: A “push and pull” experience. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 2063. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18042063

Woodgate, Roberta Lynn, & Busolo, D. S. (2018). Above chaos, Quest, and restitution: Narrative experiences of african immigrant youth’s settlement in Canada. BMC Public Health, 18(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5239-6

Yohani, S., Salami, B., Okeke-Ihejirika, P., Vallianatos, H., Alaazi, D., & Nsaliwa, C. (2020). “If you say you have mental health issues, then you are mad”: Perceptions of mental health in the parenting practices of African immigrants in Canada. Canadian Ethnic Studies, Suppl.Special issue: Beyond blackness: Sub-Saharan African immigrant knowledges and agency in Canada, 52(3), 47-66. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/login

Zaami, M. (2020). Strategizing to strengthen social inclusion: The agency of Black African immigrant youth in Alberta, Canada | https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349114062_Strategizing_to_Strengthen_Social_Inclusion_The_Agency_of_Black_African_Immigrant_Youth_in_Alberta_Canada