Kinship Support in Jamaican Families in the USA and Jamaica.

Abstract

This study compares the provision and receipt of kin support for Jamaican immigrants in the US and Jamaican nationals residing in Jamaica. Two datasets are utilized for the study. US data is from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) which contains the first national probability sample of Caribbean immigrants in the USA. Data for Jamaican nationals comes from the Family Connections across Generations and Nations, a dataset associated with the NSAL. Findings indicate that both Jamaican immigrants and Jamaican nationals provide and receive substantial support from family members. Age and parental and marital status impact the amount of support given and received. In particular, there is a significant interaction between parental status, age, and receiving support that is consistent for both Jamaican immigrants in the US and Jamaican nationals. Findings are discussed in relation to previous research in this field.