Visions Journal

Navigating troubles and superpowers

Hali Kil, PHD

Reprinted from the The Vibes Are Off: Young People, Anxiety and Depression issue of Visions Journal, 2025, 21 (1), pp. 13-14

Being a young immigrant is not a smooth journey. You have to adapt to new cultural norms, different social values and an unfamiliar language. This is on top of the usual tasks of trying to find your unique identity while also fitting in with friends at school. 

Because of these special experiences, a lot of clinicians and psychologists say newcomer young people experience disproportionately high mental health issues. Fortunately, I find that many of my younger clinical psychologist colleagues make extra time to become aware of the unique experiences of immigrant young people in Canada.

Unique ways of expressing 

How do newcomer young people show mental health symptoms and talk about their anxiety and depression? Research shows that somatic (bodily) symptoms, like headaches or body aches, are often linked to anxiety and depression.¹ This might be due to norms of not discussing emotions in many cultures, leading to more physical, rather than psychological, descriptions of stress. 

Mental health is not openly discussed in many cultures and may be easier communicated through physical symptoms. Colleagues have told me that, in some cultural contexts, it can even be inappropriate to ask whether a friend is sad. This can make it hard for newcomer young people to talk to clinicians about their symptoms. 

Language challenges

Another deterrent to getting the right kind of help among immigrant youth is a language barrier. A great majority of clinicians in Canada are Canadian-born, European-descent women. If you can’t find a clinician who can help you in the language you’re most comfortable in, chances are you won’t seek help or be able to get help even when you really need it. 

Language barriers also affect open conversations around mental health in families, especially with parents, who would ideally provide informal support, or help young people get clinical support. I’ve heard from many immigrant friends that it’s hard to describe the feeling of anxiety in their native language with their parents because the literal translation of the word anxiety will suggest that there’s something “not right” or “unstable” that needs to be fixed medically. 

Through my research lab’s recent work with Punjabi communities, I’ve also learned that the direct translation of the word psychologist is most often understood as the medical practice of psychiatry and medical treatment for serious psychological disorders. These language issues can make it hard for a newcomer young person to seek help, even within the safety of family. 

Stigma

Language issues aren’t limited to the nuances of words, of course. There is stigma around mental health discussions in many cultural groups. Some immigrant youth may be reluctant to talk to parents about mental health. Young people may instead rely on friends or peers from similar ethnic and linguistic backgrounds for support—those who understand both the difficulties in navigating communication gaps with parents and the very real anxiety or depression they may experience.² 

All of this said, cultural gaps in the family aren’t always bad, based on my own research. When family members are generally open and receptive despite cultural gaps, young people may still be willing to talk about mental health issues with their families and get the social support they need to feel better.³

Gender 

Tied into these cultural discussions is how gendered mental health discussions are in general, and particularly in more patriarchal cultures. Even in Canada, considered by many to have decent gender equity, men’s mental health difficulties are less discussed due to stigma, and symptoms are frequently ignored.⁴ 

In cultures that have rigid and socially reinforced standards around masculinity—what it means to be a man—mental health issues can be downplayed among boys and young men. Boys and young men from some immigrant backgrounds may feel even more discouraged from speaking about mental health with their families, who may dismiss such discussions when they do arise.

Surprising resilience

I want to emphasize that if you’re a newcomer youth, not everything is going to be bad. In fact, research contradicts the general stigma about heightened mental health issues among newcomers.⁵ Immigrant youth have shown an “immigrant paradox” in research, meaning that despite losing social networks and resources, many are quite healthy compared with non-immigrant youth. As a developmental researcher, I find this balanced perspective so important to curb the mental health stigmas surrounding being a newcomer in Canada. 

What are these strengths newcomer youth seem to show? 

• Resilience: Newcomer young people report having more resilience than non-immigrants.⁶ This may  result from overcoming difficulties during their big move and learning to balance cultural backgrounds 
• New identities: Many newcomer youth experience positive emotions, psychological health and general mental well-being when they embrace their multicultural identity. Even if you’re a newcomer, embracing all of your old and new cultural identities can help you feel less stressed 
• Language flexibility: Having multiple languages in your toolbox can set you up for positive mental health and good social skills. While it can be stressful to be the main English speaker for the family, multilingual kids have been shown to be more cognitively flexible and better at understanding other people’s emotional states, setting them up for social and emotional success⁷ 

Despite the mental health stigmas and difficulties you might experience as a young immigrant person in Canada, don’t forget: you have strengths—or as I like to call them, superpowers—that make you a tough, resilient person in the face of stress.