Abstract
Background: Female led migration is a recent trend that has been gaining momentum, particularly in Latin America. However, little attention has been given to the psychological consequences of mothers who leave their children in their country of origin and migrate to a host country to work. Therefore, it is important to investigate the mental health status of transnational mothers and to further identify issues for intervention and supportive services.Methods: PubMed, PsycINFO, ERIC, CENTRAL, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases were searched systematically for peer-reviewed articles published from inception through July 2019. The search included the following terms: migrant, immigrant, transnational, transnational mother, AND mood disorders, depressive symptoms, and depression. Initially, 8,375 studies were identified. After exclusionary criteria were applied, 17 studies were identified and included in the review.Results: We found six quantitative studies that investigated depressive symptoms among transnational mothers. Of these studies, three found a positive association between transnational motherhood and depressive symptoms; three of these articles found a null correlation. A total of eight qualitative studies and three mixed-methods studies were found that addressed depressive symptoms and emotional distress among transnational mothers. The eight qualitative studies identified highlighted the significant emotional distress transnational mothers experience. Lastly, the three mixed-methods studies similarly discussed the emotional hardships faced by transnational mothers.Implications: The studies identified suggest that depressive symptoms and emotional distress are prevalent among transnational mothers. Therefore, public health social workers and other mental health providers need to focus on developing strategies to identify and screen transnational mothers for depressive symptoms.
Highlights
International migration was historically led by males (1)
The qualitative findings of the three mixed-methods studies discussed the emotional hardships faced by transnational mothers, but only one of them included quantitative information on depressive symptoms among transnational mothers
Findings from qualitative studies demonstrate that transnational motherhood may exacerbate feelings of sadness and guilt, during the first years after migrating to a new country. This scoping review of 17 quantitative, qualitative and mixedmethods studies indicates that transnational mothers experience emotional distress when they move to a host country and have to leave their children in their countries of origin
Summary
International migration was historically led by males (1). Recent data suggest that 47% of international migrants around the globe are female (2). In the United States (U.S.), 51.7% of immigrants are women (3). From 1990-2017, the percent of female migrants has increased in most regions around the globe, with the exception of East Asia and the Pacific, possibly due to an increased demand in male-dominated work (4). At a population level, it is currently unknown how many of these women are mothers and are separated from their children. Female led migration is a recent trend that has been gaining momentum, in Latin America. Little attention has been given to the psychological consequences of mothers who leave their children in their country of origin and migrate to a host country to work. It is important to investigate the mental health status of transnational mothers and to further identify issues for intervention and supportive services
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