“I Can’t Watch the Sunset With My Friends”: Developmental Tasks and Acculturation Dynamics Within Polish Families Living in Spain

This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of the acculturation process within Polish, opposite sex, nuclear families residing in Spain. Havighurst’s developmental goals associated with life stages, the Relative Acculturation Extended Model (RAEM), and the theory of family loyalties provided a theoretical framework for a qualitative multiple case study. The research involved 19 families of Polish or partially Polish origin (with 44 participants in total: 23 second and “1.5 generation” children aged 10–18, 19 mothers, and two fathers). Data collection methods included semi-structured individual interviews and participatory observation. The data analysis utilized Template Analysis, which is an approach rooted in interpretative phenomenological analysis, using the theoretical frame (template) in this case devised on the life areas outlined in the RAEM. According to mothers’ retrospective narratives about their migration experience, the developmental stage they were in at the time of arrival played a significant role in the acculturation process for Polish mothers. The findings also suggest that adolescents, especially those from the second generation of migrants, encounter a significant acculturation gap while managing developmental tasks linked to achieving autonomy, while experiencing a strong sense of family loyalty. Such results hold potential significance for informing therapeutic interventions aimed at supporting immigrant families.