Attachment, psychological wellbeing and educational development among child members of transnational families

Abstract

Objective The current research investigated attachment styles, psychological wellbeing, and academic development among children in transnational family arrangements in Zimbabwe. Methods Purposive sampling was employed to select 57 children in transnational family arrangements and 41 children in conventional two-parent households aged between 8 and 14 years. Attachment Style Classification Questionnaire for latency-age children, Stirling Children’s Well-being Scale, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and Questionnaire for Evaluation of Development and Behavior were applied. Results The results revealed that there were no significant differences in attachment styles, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and academic development between the transnational and conventional family groups. Social desirability and prosocial behavior were significantly lower in the transnational group. Children with both parents as migrants had significantly lower scores for psychological wellbeing and higher scores for emotional symptoms and literacy problems than children with one migrant parent or conventional families. Conclusion There was no difference in attachment styles and academic development, which may be a reflection of the strength of the extended family in substituting parental care. However, children in transnational family arrangements scored poorly on the prosocial subscale of psychological wellbeing, which is associated with family cohesion. Parental migration negatively impacts family cohesion, especially when both parents migrate. When both parents migrate, the children exhibited emotional symptoms, literacy problems, poor prosocial behaviors, and poor psychological wellbeing because children receive reduced social support. This study reveals that a child’s age at the parent’s departure, family cohesion, and economic security are integral to ensuring the wellbeing of children in transnational family arrangements.

Increasing perceived health and mental health literacy among separated refugee Ukrainian families with urgent needs occasioned by invasion—a group intervention study with participatory methodology in Sweden

“…Family coping resources are diminished by long forced separation, physical injury, and mental illness (e.g., negative thoughts). Children will forget their separated parent (often their father) which may hamper their development and trust (13). Findings indicate the significance of engaging families in planning and skill-building to support healthy communication despite separation due to war.…”

“…Children will forget their separated parents (often their father), and this situation risks destroying their development and trust. A study among transnational families shows that loss of social support and family cohesion arises when one of the parents migrates (13). Transnationalism relates to the way individuals, through migration, live in new social worlds, and construct social networks beyond their home country.…”

Mitigating the Unmet Psychosocial Support Needs of Left-behind Learners in Child-Headed Households: Exploring ‘Educare’ Support at a Zimbabwean School

“…The feminization of labor particularly in the care field has triggered a massive exodus of women contributing to children being left behind in CHH. This to some extent contributes to the creation of this unique form of CHH [14].…”

Der Zusammenhang von sozialen und familiären Strukturen mit Verhaltensauffälligkeiten bei Vorschulkindern

“…Wie stark die psychische Gesundheit von Kindern und Jugendlichen durch äußere Faktoren beeinflusst werden kann, zeigen Studien zur Auswirkung der Maßnahmen zur Bekämpfung der Corona-Pandemie 7 8 9 .Die Literatur liefert zahlreiche Hinweise dafür, dass einzelne soziale und familiäre Faktoren mit kindlichen Entwicklungsstörungen und Verhaltensauffälligkeiten assoziiert sind, wobei nur wenig über die Interaktion dieser Faktoren untereinander bekannt ist 10 11 . Es konnten jeweils Zusammenhänge zwischen Verhaltensauffälligkeiten und Familienstruktur und -größe 12 13 14 , elterlichem Bildungsgrad 15 16 17 , Migrationshintergrund 18 19 20 , elterlicher Erwerbsarbeit und Armut 21 22 und Kindertagesstätten-Besuch 23 gezeigt werden. Zudem werden einige dieser Faktoren in der Literatur häufig in sehr unterschiedlich definierten Konstrukten wie „sozio-ökonomischem Status“ zusammengefasst und nur diese Konstrukte auf Zusammenhänge mit Verhaltensauffälligkeiten untersucht.…”

“…Interaktion dieser Faktoren untereinander bekannt ist [10,11]. Es konnten jeweils Zusammenhänge zwischen Verhaltensauffälligkeiten und Familienstruktur und -größe [12][13][14], elterlichem Bildungsgrad [15][16][17], Migrationshintergrund [18][19][20], elterlicher Erwerbsarbeit und Armut [21,22] und Kindertagesstätten-Besuch [23]…”