Parental Migration in Childhood and Individual Wellbeing in Adulthood

Abstract

Parental absence due to parental migration has been a prevalent phenomenon in developing countries, occurring on an exceptionally large scale in China. While previous literature focused on the concurrent effects of parental migration on children, this study aims to investigate whether the impact of parental absence during childhood is long-term and lasts into adulthood. This study examines how individuals with childhood experience of parental absence differ from their counterparts in their early adulthood, in terms of their mental wellbeing, physical health, and cognitive ability. This study uses a sample of 6031 individuals aged from 18 to 30 years old from a nationally representative dataset China Family Panel Studies. The results show that the childhood experience of both-parental absence is negatively associated with individual’s mental and physical health while positively associated with cognitive ability in their early adulthood.