Title

Reentry program impact on missionary kid depression, anxiety, and stress: a three-year study.

School/Department

Rosemead School of Psychology

Publication Date

Summer 2013

Abstract

subMissionary Kids (MKs) are included in a broader popula- tion known as Third Culture Kids, children who are raised outside of their parents’ home country. This cross-cultural upbringing provides many benefits but also presents chal- lenges upon repatriation to the passport country. This study utilized a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest de- sign to examine the impact of MK reentry programs on psychological well-being. Participants included 186 MKs who had lived in 86 countries and represented 68 mission- ary sending agencies. MANOVA results indicated signifi- cant reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress levels fol- lowing program attendance. Differences were noted by gender, with females reporting significantly lower levels of psychological well-being than males. Implications for caregivers and recommendations for further research are discussed.

Keywords

Children of missionaries; Separation (Psychology) in children

Publication Title

Journal of Psychology & Theology

Volume

41

Issue

2

First Page

128

Last Page

140

DOI of Published Version

10.1177/009164711304100203

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