Minori stranieri non accompagnati: dal metodo autobiografico all'analisi testuale "assistita"

Objective: The number of unaccompanied immigrant children and adolescents is increasing in Italy as well as in other industrialized nations. A growing body of literature on this population has resulted in an increased understanding of its vulnerability and special needs. Using an autobiographical research approach, the current study investigates how the experience of migration without one’s parents – and in some cases without a clear family mandate – is revealed in the narrative self-representations of these young people. Method: Using a “mixed” methodology and a computer-aided text analysis (i.e., T-LAB), we illustrate a different approach for studying this phenomenon than traditional methods such as “paper-and-pencil” text analysis. Specifically, we conducted individual interviews with and analyzed the autobiographical accounts of 25 unaccompanied immigrant youth who were housed in community care facilities in Northern Italy. The participants were aged between 14 and 18 years old, immigrating from North Africa (n=16), Central Africa (n=3), and Eastern Europe (n=6). All participants experienced separation from or loss of their parents and reported complex journeys to Italy. Results: Five main themes emerged, focusing on family relationships, the host context, the role and function of narrative, experiences of the migration journey, and the process of integration into the new culture. Significant differences were found in relation to participants’ countries of origin and the number of years since arriving in Italy. Three different models of migration were detected through the combination of one’s family mandate to migrate (strong/weak) and the degree of personal commitment to migrating (present/absent). Overall, no age differences were found. Conclusions: The complex web of clinical and psychosocial variables predicting immigration narratives that emerged from the present study provides clues to detecting developmental risk factors and identifying the most vulnerable subgroups. These factors can guide future interventions of care and protection for unaccompanied immigrant youth.