An Intersectional Approach to the Understandings of Well-being of Latin American Adolescent Migrants Living in Barcelona-Spain

Research on adolescent migrants has prioritized deficit- and adaptation-based approaches, with scarce attention to non-pathologizing perspectives. Faced with this challenge, the study of this population’s understanding of well-being was articulated as a framework capable of strengthening the available knowledge. Qualitative studies on understandings of well-being have contributed to its perception as contextual, multifaceted and changing (Fattore et al., 2021). However, as Hunner-Kreisel and März (Child Indicators Research, 12(2), 425–442, 2019) posit, progress is still required in integrating critical perspectives. Considering this gap, incorporating the intersectional approach allowed the present study to learn about the understandings of well-being from a critical perspective, with a focus on the experiences in the new local space, elaborated by Latin American adolescent migrants living in Barcelona. These understandings were analyzed and articulated following the proposal of Winker and Degele (European Journal of Women’s Studies, 18(1), 51–66, 2011), organized in the levels: identity constructions, symbolic representations and social structures. For the case of adolescent migrants, exploring understandings of well-being from this critical analytical approach strengthens a contextual and historically situated understanding by making oppressions and agencies visible. A qualitative design was used that included semi-structured interviews and the use of photographs as triggers for dialogue with 10 participants between 11 and 18 years of age. The results identify and describe four central understandings of well-being that Latin American adolescent migrants, participants in the study, construct around their new local space: (1) Process of transformations (new identifications, differentiations, belongings) and facing challenges as experiences that enhance a positive sense of self, by perceiving capabilities and growth; (2) Nuclear and extended family as a space of continuity and emotional support; (3) Development of reflective capacity, in terms of comparative analysis between the territory of origin and the new one, generating a sense of understanding of the world and evaluations of present and future living conditions; and (4) Practices that challenge social asymmetry: agency, oriented to include difference; recognition of the relevance of bonds and social support, of linguistic integration and of the inclusive functioning of the school system. This study contributes to advancing critical perspectives on well-being, challenging universalist and psychologistic approaches. The findings offer practical insights for the design of psychosocial interventions and inclusive policies that strengthen adolescents’ agency, promote their inclusion, and address the complex challenges faced by migrant youth in transnational contexts.