Mental Well-being of Albanian and Kosovo Albanian Immigrants

Voltisa Thartori; Nik A.  Hisham Ismail

doi:10.29333/ajqr/11106

Voltisa Thartori ¹ ^* , Nik A. Hisham Ismail ¹

More Detail

AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 5, Issue 2, pp. 73-91

https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/11106

OPEN ACCESS 1727 Views 1432 Downloads

Download Full Text (PDF)

Abstract

Moving to a new country causes significant challenges for immigrants. Various reasons contributed to immigrants' mental well-being, such as language barriers, lack of family and social support, discrimination, and others that affect well-being and quality of life among immigrants in the host country. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of 18 Albanian and Kosovo-Albanian immigrants residing in Malaysia. The objectives of this study are as follows: (i) to investigate perceptions of immigrants toward mental well-being; (ii) to explore coping strategies for mental well-being among immigrants; and (iii) to identify suggestions and recommendations of immigrants residing in Malaysia and Australia. Social Learning Theory (SLT) guided this study. SLT focuses on learning through observation and reflection. Therefore, this theory is suitable for the current study since our thoughts, actions and behaviours are influenced by social and cultural factors. This study employed a qualitative phenomenological case study using in-depth semi-structured interviews. The result showed that mental well-being was perceived as physical, mental and spiritual health; accomplishment and life purposes; and contentedness positively affected the immigrants’ mental well-being. The immigrants resorted to several strategies in coping with mental well-being, such as calmness and having a positive attitude in solving their problems. The findings also recommended immigrants embrace a new culture and adapting their life in their host country.

Keywords: Albanians and Kosovo Albanians, Coping Strategies, Immigrants, Mental Well-being.

References

Ahmad, I. S. (2017). Doing qualitative research for beginners: From theory to practice. Partridge Singapore.
Al-Hawdrawi, H. H. (2017). The effect of immigration on the mental well-being of middle eastern immigrants in the united states. Research Journal of Pharmacy & Technology, 10(7), 2069-2074. https://doi.org/10.5958/0974-360X.2017.00361.4
American Psychological Association. (2016). Guidelines for the undergraduate psychology major: Version 2.0. American Psychologist, 71(2), 102-111. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037562
Balidemaj, A., & Small, M. (2018). Acculturation, ethnic identity, and psychological well-being of Albanian-American immigrants in the United States. International Journal of Culture & Mental Health, 11(4), 712-730. https://doi.org/10.1080/17542863.2018.1556717
Bandura, A. (1969). Principle of behaviour modification. Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Inc.
Banerjee, R., & Verma, A. (2009). Determinants and Effects of Post-Migration Education Among New Immigrants in Canada. Canadian Labour Market and Skills Researcher Network.
Bezerra, C. I. M., Adriano, A. B. A., Placido, L. S., & Goncalves, M. G. S. (2010). MiniDMAIC: An approach to causal analysis and resolution in software development projects. In A. Coskun (Ed.), Quality management and six sigma (pp. 155-182). Sciyo. https://www.intechopen.com/books/quality-management-and-six-sigma/minidmaic-an-approach-to-causal-analysis-and-resolution-in-software-development-projects
Bloch, Maurice (2005) Where did anthropology go?: or the need for 'human nature'. In: Bloch, Maurice, (ed.) Essays on cultural transmission. LSE monographs on social anthropology . Berg Publishers, Oxford, UK, pp. 1-20. ISBN 9781845202866
Bradburn, N. (1969). The structure of psychological well-being. Aldine.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Bryman, A. (2008). Social research methods. Oxford University Press.
Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Cela, E., & Fokkema, T. (2017). Being lonely later in life: A qualitative study among Albanians and Moroccans in Italy. Ageing & Society, 37(6), 1197–1226. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X16000209
Čiarnienė, R., & Kumpikaitė, V. (2008). The impact of globalization on migration processes. Social Research, 3(13), 42–48. Retrieved from http://talpykla.elaba.lt/elaba-fedora/objects/elaba:6083070/datastreams/MAIN/content
Coleman, A. M. (2015). Oxford psychology reference dictionary (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2003). Business Research Methods (8th edition). USA: McGraw-Hill.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design, Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Sage.
Dale, B.G., Wiele, T. and Iwaarden, J. (2007) Managing Quality, 5th ed., Blackwell Publishing Ltd., Oxford.
Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), 542-575.
Frisch, M. B. (1998). Quality of life therapy and assessment in health care. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 5(1), 19–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2850.1998.tb00132.x
Fyodor, D. (1912). The novels of Fyodor Dostoevsky (C Garnett, Trans.). William Heinemann.
Harrison, D. A., & Klein, K. J. (2007). What’s the difference? Diversity constructs as separation, variety, or disparity in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 32(4), 1199–1228. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2007.26586096
Hemmasi, M., & Downes, M. (2013). Cultural distance and expatriate adjustment revisited. Journal of Global Mobility: The Home of Expatriate Management Research, 1, 72–91.
Hesse, Hermann. Herman Hesse Steppenwolf. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1961. Print.
Hinsliff, J. (2007). Integration or exclusion? The resettlement experiences of refugees in Australia. University of Adelaide.
Husserl E (2004) Ideas : General Introduction to Pure Phenomenology, Taylor and Francis, Florence.
Ismail, N. A. H., Rahman, N. S. N. A., Nordin, M. S. N., & Zainuddin, A. M. H. (2003). Integration and internalization in the inter-group relations in institutions of tertiarry education: A case study of the International Islamic University Malaysia. Muslim Education Quarterly, 20(1 &2), 52–66. http://irep.iium.edu.my/26333/
Kabir, S. M. (2013). Positive attitude can change life. Journal of Chittagong University Teachers’ Association, 7, 55–63. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325712867_Positive_Attitude_Can_ Change_Life
Kahanec, M., & Zimmermann, K. F. (2008). Migration and globalization: Challenges and perspectives for the research infrastructure (IZA Discussion Paper No. 3890). SSRN Electronic Journal. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1318849
Kaliska, L., & Akbey, B. (2019). Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Related to Trait Emotional Intelligence of Slovaks in Comparison to Turkish Immigrants in Slovakia. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 6(3), 147-157.
Kasimati, M., Kolpeja, V., & Habiti, D. (2009). Migracionic Shqiptar pas viteve 90 dhe ndikimi I tij ne jeten ekonomike dhe sociale te femijeve te lene pas. Insituti per Kerkime Urbane. http://www.uri.org.al/uri/pub/raporti_shqip3.pdf
Kim, B. S. K. (2006). Acculturation and enculturation. In F. T. L. Leong, A. Ebreo, & L. Kinoshita (Eds.), Handbook of Asian American psychology (2nd ed., pp. 141–158). Sage Publications.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2019). The development of goal-setting theory: A half-century retrospective. Motivation Science.
Lunenburg, F. C. (2011). Self-Efficacy, Adaptation, and Adjustment. International Journal Of Management, Business, And Administration, 14(1), 1–6.
Madani, A. H. (2011). Freedom and Its Concept in Islam. International Proceedings of Economics Development & Research, 17, 116. http://www.ipedr.com/vol17/21-CHHSS 2011-H10000.pdf
McKnight, P. E., & Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Purpose in life as a system that creates and sustains health and well-being: An integrative, testable theory. Review of General Psychology, 13(3), 242–251. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017152
Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Jossey-Bass.
Merriam, S.B. (1998) Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education. Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco.
Migration, W. (2018). Chapter 2 – Migration and migrants: A global overview. World Migration Report (Vol. 2018). https://doi.org/10.1002/wom3.2
Papadopoulos, D. K., Karasavvoglou, A., Geranis, C., & Violitzi, K. (2015). The effect of socio-demographic variables on acculturation of Albanian immigrants in Greece. Procedia Economics & Finance, 19(15), 154–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(15)00017-9
Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Phua, J. J. (2010). Sports Fans and Media Use: Influence on Sports Fan Identification and Collective Self-Esteem. International Journal of Sport Communication, 3(2), 190–206. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.3.2.190
Pope, C., Mays, N., & Popay, J. (2007). Synthesizing qualitative and quantitative health research. Open University Press.
Pringle, J., Drummond, J., McLafferty, E., & Hendry, C. (2011). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: a discussion and critique. Nurse researcher, 18(3), 20–24. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr2011.04.18.3.20.c8459
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2001). On happiness and human potentials: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual review of psychology, 52(1), 141-166.
Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069–1081. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069
Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 69(4), 719–727. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.4.719
Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. H. (2008). Know thyself and become what you are: A eudemonic approach to psychological well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 13-39.
Shah, A. A. (2005). Psychotherapy in vacuum or reality: Secular or Islamic psychotherapy with Muslim clients! Pakistan Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 3, 1-18.
Shah, D. A. H., & Sani Mohd, M. A. (2011). Freedom of Religion in Malaysia: A Tangled Web of Legal, Political, and Social Issues. North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation (Vol. 36).
Tribe, R. (2002). The mental health of refugees and asylum seekers. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 8, 240-247.
Tssari, H. (2018). Calmness conquers anxiety: What language tells us about mind and body control. In H. Çakmur (Ed.), Effects of stress on human health (pp. 565-474). Intechopen. https://www.intechopen.com/books/effects-of-stress-on-human-health/calmness-conquers-anxiety-what-language-tells-us-about-mind-and-body-control
Walter, O., & Siwar, S. (2021). Personal Well-Being, Mental Resilience and Emotional Intelligence in First-and Second-Generation Druze in the Golan Heights. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 8(3), 74-94.
Wang, H. T., Chang, W., & Lai, Y. F. (2012). a Study on the relationship between thinking styles (attitudes) and collaboration attitudes of college students in Taiwan. Journal of Education & Instructional Studies, 2(2), 46–57.
WHO (1948). Constitution of the World Health Organization. Basic documents. Geneva, World Health Organization.
Wong, D. F. K. (2002). Stage-specific and culture-specific coping strategies used by mainland Chinese immigrants during resettlement in Hong Kong. Social Work in Health Care, 35(1-2), 479-499. https://doi.org/10.1300/J010v35n01_08

Citation

Thartori, V., & Hisham Ismail, N. A. (2021). Mental Well-being of Albanian and Kosovo Albanian Immigrants. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 5(2), 73-91. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/11106

Thartori, V., and Hisham Ismail, N. A. (2021). Mental Well-being of Albanian and Kosovo Albanian Immigrants. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 5(2), pp. 73-91. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/11106

Thartori V, Hisham Ismail NA. Mental Well-being of Albanian and Kosovo Albanian Immigrants. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2021;5(2), 73-91. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/11106

Thartori, Voltisa, and Nik A. Hisham Ismail. "Mental Well-being of Albanian and Kosovo Albanian Immigrants". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2021 5 no. 2 (2021): 73-91. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/11106

Thartori, Voltisa et al. "Mental Well-being of Albanian and Kosovo Albanian Immigrants". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 5, no. 2, 2021, pp. 73-91. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/11106

Thartori V, Hisham Ismail NA. Mental Well-being of Albanian and Kosovo Albanian Immigrants. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2021;5(2):73-91. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/11106