Examining the Impact of a Third Culture Kid Upbringing: Wellbeing, Attachment and Ethnic Identity Strength in Adult Third Culture Kids

Doherty, Lucy; Lieu, Jenai; Aledeh, Muhammad; Edwards, Ann-Marie; Kotera, Yasuhiro

Abstract

Third Culture Kids (TCK) are generally considered to be children who spend a significant period living outside of their home country but reside only temporarily in one or more host country/ies. TCKs’ upbringing, it is argued, may lead to a number of negative psychological outcomes including depression, anxiety, and identity and attachment issues. This quantitative study based on a total of 489 participants compares the self-report responses of adults who had been TCKs with those of non-TCK adults, on the measures of ethnic identity, wellbeing, loneliness, attachment, resilience, and self-concept clarity. Results indicate that TCK adults had a weaker ethnic identity, greater resilience, and were less comfortable forming close relationships than non-TCK adults. Among TCK adults, having siblings was associated with reduced attachment anxiety and greater resilience, while practising a religion was related to increased ethnic identity. Findings indicate the need to raise awareness among parents, teachers, and counsellors about the difficulties that TCKs might face.

Citation

Doherty, L., Lieu, J., Aledeh, M., Edwards, A.-M., & Kotera, Y. (2023). Examining the Impact of a Third Culture Kid Upbringing: Wellbeing, Attachment and Ethnic Identity Strength in Adult Third Culture Kids. Journal of Research in International Education, 22(2), 164-180. https://doi.org/10.1177/14752409231189364

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 4, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jul 17, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-08
• Deposit Date: Jul 22, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 27, 2023
• Journal: Journal of Research in International Education
• Print ISSN: 1475-2409
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-2943
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 164-180
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14752409231189364
• Keywords: Education
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/23220828
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14752409231189364