The impact of parental migration on emotional health of left behind childrena study with Brazilian immigrants en the United States

Laburpena

Although immigration is part of the geopolitical landscape in the United States, there is little research investigating the harmful effects caused by parental migration on left behind children’s mental health. This is the first known study conducted in the country that investigated the impact of parental migration on the emotional health of Brazilian left behind children. The sample comprised of 50 participants. The mean separation time found between children and parents was 7.33 years. In some the separation was still ongoing. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and an interview were utilized in this study. The SDQ results revealed that participants had problems in one or more of the following areas: emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity and peer problems. Surprisingly, 80 percent of the participants showed no problems regarding prosocial abilities. Significant positive correlations were found between the following scales: prosocial and peer problems, emotional problems and hyperactivity, conduct problems and hyperactivity and finally, between prosocial and conduct problems. Additionally, it was observed that being left by the mother seems to be more damaging than being left by the father or both parents. It was also found that girls are apparently more prone to develop emotional problems than boys. On top of these results, a range of symptoms was reported by the participants. They were previously diagnosed or had received treatment for problems such as, anxiety disorder, panic disorder, eating disorder, depression, psychotic-like experiences, abuse of alcohol/drugs, suicide ideation, loneliness, and low self-esteem. This research substantiates the hypothesis that parental migration causes a hurtful impact on emotional health of left behind children and can be used as a guide for welfare policies and to design intervention programs.