Year: 2026 | Month: November | Volume: 13 | Issue: 11 | Pages: 1-6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20261101
Language Barriers, Psychological Stress, and School Belonging Among Migrant Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study
Polina Shkolnyk
Department of Psychology, San-Tomé de Freixeiro, Vigo, Spain.
Corresponding Author: Polina Shkolnyk
ABSTRACT
Background: Moving to another country can make school more stressful when adolescents must study in a language they are still learning.
Objective: This study examined associations between perceived language difficulty, psychological stress, school belonging, and sleep difficulties among migrant secondary-school students.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 120 adolescents aged 14–18 years at two secondary schools in north-western Spain. Forty students were included in each of three groups based on low, moderate, or high perceived language difficulty. Stress, belonging, and weekly sleep difficulties were compared using one-way analysis of variance. Correlations and a chi-square test were also calculated.
Results: Mean stress scores increased from 2.18 in the low-difficulty group to 3.66 in the high-difficulty group, while belonging scores decreased from 4.22 to 2.83. Students with high difficulty also reported more nights of sleep problems (3.45 versus 1.50 per week). Language difficulty was positively correlated with stress (r = 0.74) and negatively correlated with school belonging (r = -0.75); both p < 0.001.
Conclusion: Greater difficulty using the school language was associated with more stress, weaker school belonging, and more sleep complaints. The cross-sectional design did not establish causation.
Keywords: migrant adolescents; language barriers; psychological stress; school belonging; sleep difficulties; secondary education
[PDF Full Text]