‘Left behind’ but not left alone: Parental migration &amp; the psychosocial health of children in Moldova

Vanore, Michaella; Mazzucato, Valentina; Siegel, Melissa

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.08.040

Cited by 61 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Another mechanism is related to family culture in Eastern Europe. A high value on extended family (Robila, ) and a supportive caregiving arrangement may explain the positive impact of living in transnational families on educational outcomes of children from this region (Cebotari et al., ; Robila, ; Vanore et al., ). Parents, for example, support their adult children throughout the children's life and are very involved in the upbringing of their grandchildren.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, a positive effect of paternal migration on the school achievement of girls was found by Antman (2012) and Hanson and Woodruff (2003). However, the absence of parents working abroad was felt most strongly on an emotional level for girls rather than boys (Graham & Jordan, 2011;Liu et al, 2009;Vanore et al, 2015;Wu & Cebotari, 2018).…”

Section: Subgroup Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These papers provide evidence that children left‐behind are more prone to depression, anxiety, and other emotional and mental health problems, in response to the migration of their parents (Graham & Jordan, ; Shi et al., ; Wang et al., ; Zhao et al., ; Zhou et al., ), with children of migrant mothers most affected (Hewage, Bohlin, Wijewardena, & Lindmark, ). Closely related, some studies indicate that children living in migrant families are significantly more likely to have behavioural problems compared with those from nonmigrant households (Vanore et al., ; Wickramage et al., ). It has been shown that problems with personal conduct are more prevalent among male left‐behind children and emotional problems among female children (Graham & Jordan, ; Liu et al., ; Vanore et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Closely related, some studies indicate that children living in migrant families are significantly more likely to have behavioural problems compared with those from nonmigrant households (Vanore et al., ; Wickramage et al., ). It has been shown that problems with personal conduct are more prevalent among male left‐behind children and emotional problems among female children (Graham & Jordan, ; Liu et al., ; Vanore et al., ). Taken together, these findings indicate potential longer lasting negative consequences due to parental absence for the left‐behind children of migrant workers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, for older students, Matano and Ramos () find that living in a remittance‐recipient family increases the probability of attending higher education institutions. Furthermore, Vanore, Mazzucato, and Siegel () show that parental migration is not always associated with negative psychosocial health outcomes for Moldavian left‐behind children. This contradicts the findings from Tomşa and Jenaro (), who document depression in left‐behind children in Romania.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

The impact of parental labour migration on left‐behind children's educational and psychosocial outcomes: Evidence from Romania

Botezat

Pfeiffer

2019

Population Space and Place

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Many children grow up with parents working abroad. Social scientists are interested in the scholastic achievement and health of these left‐behind children, in order to better understand the positive and negative aspects of migration for the families in the sending countries. This paper examines the causal effects of parents' migration on the education, physical, and mental health of left‐behind children aged 11 to 15 years in Romania, a country where increasingly more children have parents working abroad. Using data from a unique representative survey carried out in 2007, instrumental variable and bivariate probit estimates have been performed. The paper finds evidence for a significant positive effect of parental migration on children's school performance (reflected in higher grades) and a higher probability of suffering from depression and having health problems more frequently. The study furthermore demonstrates that living in transnational families is more harmful for girls and for those from rural areas.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Subgroup Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The impact of parental labour migration on left‐behind children's educational and psychosocial outcomes: Evidence from Romania

Botezat

Pfeiffer

2019

Population Space and Place

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“Se extraña todo:” Family separation and reunification experiences among unaccompanied adolescent migrants from Central America

Patel

Bouche

Martínez

et al. 2021

New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development

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There has been a record surge of unaccompanied immigrant minors (UAMs) entering the United States, with 86% of those apprehended at the US-Mexico border originating from the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. A majority of immigrant children are separated from either one or both parents at various points during the migration process. Although average separations last 4 or more years, and may be deeply distressing, there is little research on family separations among Central American UAMs. Further, little is known about the developmental impact of separations from extended family networks, or about reunification. To address these empirical gaps, this study used community-participatory qualitative methods to deeply explore the lived experiences and emotional repercussions of family separation and reunification. The sample included 42 adolescents who had all recently migrated to the Western United States from Central America. Thematic analyses revealed that separation experiences are distressing, multifaceted, and have important developmental implications for Central American UAMs. Results illustrate the socioemotional toll that family separation and reunification can have on this vulnerable population, and highlight the need for

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Transnational families: Cross‐country comparative perspectives

Mazzucato

Dito

2018

Population Space and Place

Self Cite

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This special issue aims to address the gap in transnational families studies by identifying if there are common patterns and effects of transnational family life across countries and regions, using cross-country comparative analyses. In this editorial introduction, we highlight the overarching themes emerging from seven papers, which employ new large-scale surveys specifically designed to collect information about transnational family life across different Latin American, African, and Southeast Asian countries and China. We discuss how these comparative studies offer new ways of understanding transnational families by focusing on their prevalence, composition, the experiences of their members, and how these change over time. We also highlight how differing and changing notions of care over space and a person's lifetime influence how transnational families are created, reproduced, maintained, and experienced. In general, the issue as a whole emphasises the need to take structural factors in both sending and receiving contexts into account when studying the form that transnational families take, how this changes over time, and the general and specific gendered effects they have on different members.

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‘Left behind’ but not left alone: Parental migration & the psychosocial health of children in Moldova

Cited by 61 publications

References 24 publications

The impact of parental labour migration on left‐behind children's educational and psychosocial outcomes: Evidence from Romania

The impact of parental labour migration on left‐behind children's educational and psychosocial outcomes: Evidence from Romania

“Se extraña todo:” Family separation and reunification experiences among unaccompanied adolescent migrants from Central America

Transnational families: Cross‐country comparative perspectives

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