With a Little Help from My Friends: Peer Coaching for Refugee Adolescents and the Role of Social Media

Julia Kneer, Anne K. van Eldik, Jeroen Jansz, Susanne Eischeid and Melek Usta
Additional contact information
Julia Kneer: Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Anne K. van Eldik: Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Jeroen Jansz: Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Susanne Eischeid: Department of Differential Psychology, Duisburg-Essen University, Germany
Melek Usta: Peer2Peer, The Netherlands

Media and Communication, 2019, vol. 7, issue 2, 264-274

Abstract:

This intervention study investigated how much impact a specific peer-coaching (Peer2Peer) for refugee adolescents has on different factors of well-being for both sides: refugee adolescents (peers, N = 16) and their local peer coaches (buddies, N = 16). Next to pre- and post-tests, four buddies reflected on the process via weekly media diaries. We found that higher peer-loneliness and lower self-esteem was reported for peers in the beginning but these differences disappeared. These results were confirmed by buddies’ media diaries: language and communication barriers reduced and friendships between buddies and peers grew. Buddies also reported high feelings of responsibilities in their media diaries which led to worries about their peer, but also to pride due to peers’ improvement. Online communication was used on an almost daily basis to stay in contact each other. Snapchat was found to influence emotional and affectionate support. In sum, Peer2Peer as a program showed positive effects for both sides. Future Peer2Peer programs should include trainings on social media as well, as most apps are able to be used independent of own language skills. Thus, social media can help to overcome language barriers and intensifies the feeling of being supported.

Keywords: adolescents; peer coaching; refugees; social inclusion; social media; well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/1876 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:meanco:v7:y:2019:i:2:p:264-274

DOI: 10.17645/mac.v7i2.1876

Access Statistics for this article

Media and Communication is currently edited by Raquel Silva

More articles in Media and Communication from Cogitatio Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by António Vieira () and IT Department ().