Factors associated with problem behaviors in Turkish immigrant children inthe Netherlands

Background: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship bet ween child, parent, family/support, and stress variables and problem behavi ors in Turkish immigrant children in the Netherlands. Methods: Parents of 8 33 children were interviewed and administered a Turkish version of the Chil d Behavior Checklist for ages 4 through 18 and a Turkish immigrant assessme nt questionnaire. Results: Increased integration (i.e., children belonging to a second generation of immigrants, older children) generally reduced the risk for problem behaviors, while frequent arguments, divorce, psychologic al problems, and convictions/incarcerations increased the risk for problem behaviors. Conclusions: Results indicate that problem behaviors are associa ted with the high level of separation faced by Turkish immigrant families a nd that more integration leads to lower levels of problem behavior. Additio nally, migration history alone does not contribute to problem behavior. Fac tors in the family (e.g., quarrels, divorce, conviction) associated with pr oblem behaviors in Turkish immigrants are similar to those found in Dutch a nd American populations. Future studies could examine predictors of problem behaviors in other culturally separated immigrant groups in the Netherland s, and in Turkish immigrant groups in other countries.