Rhetorical Silence Among Migrant Youth and the Role of Municipality Staff

This study examines how young people with an immigrant background relate to bullying, violence, discrimination and municipal support services, and how this affects their mental health and trust in adults and institutions. The purpose is to identify mechanisms that lead to rhetorical silence – when young people decide deliberately not speak out about negative events, use silence as their form of communication, and how this can be understood as a public health challenge following increasing diversity in municipalities. The study is based on Glenn's (2004) theory of rhetorical silence, which describes silence as a communicative expression rather than the absence of language. For young people in a minority position, silence can be a strategy to protect themselves from sanctions, stigma or lack of understanding. From a public health perspective, such silence can hide mental burdens and contribute to underreported needs, reduced coping and impaired access to support. The data basis is a comprehensive questionnaire collected among 15–16-year-olds in six municipalities, combined with a staff survey among employees in municipality refugee- integration and youth services. The youth survey maps mental health, experiences of violence, bullying, discrimination, social support and trust in adults. The staff survey analyses competence, attitudes and comfort in meeting diversity and minority youth. The study documents how a lack of relationship building, security and unpredictability in encounters with adults can create a public health challenge by causing young people to avoid asking for help when they need it, or remain silent about important parts of their identity and background. The results point to the need for systematic competence building, better relationship work and clearer structures in municipal services to promote openness, prevent mental disorders and reduce social inequality in health.