Migrant Fathers Research Articles

Guardians Looking From Outside: Gendered Experiences of Labor Migration and Psychosocial Health Among Nepalese Migrant Fathers and Left-Behind Mothers.

Nepalese migrant workers are at heightened risk of adverse mental health problems. However, the social mechanisms by which experiences of labor migration create such vulnerabilities are not well understood. Moreover, limited attention has been paid to the experiences of left-behind spouses. This study explores how migrant fathers and left-behind mothers experience labor migration and how migration affects mental health across migrant household members, paying special attention to the role of gender. We conducted 29 in-depth interviews with Nepalese migrant fathers (N = 18) in South Korea and left-behind mothers (N = 11) in Nepal. Labor migration imposes substantial stress on the entire family. Migrant fathers discussed their feelings of guilt and worry regarding their relationships with their children due to physical and emotional distance. Left-behind mothers indicated loneliness and caregiver stress due to additional responsibilities as a single parent. Migrant fathers reported that they felt respected by their communities for their work, while left-behind mothers felt heavily scrutinized. Our findings highlight how labor migration reinforces gender inequalities in domestic responsibilities and norms regarding the expected roles of migrating men and left-behind women. These findings suggest that psychosocial services must be tailored to the unique needs of migrant workers and left-behind families.

Lived Experiences of Migrant Fathers in the Perinatal Period: A Systematic Review and Analysis.

The worldwide population of migrant families is on the rise, and there is growing acknowledgement of the significance of supporting parental mental health within these families. However, understanding of the experiences of migrant fathers during the perinatal period remains incomplete. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of existing research on perinatal migrant fathers' experiences in different cultures. Multiple searches were conducted in April 2023 for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies across six electronic databases: Medline, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. Fourteen eligible articles were identified, including nine qualitative studies, five quantitative studies, and no mixed-methods studies. The Mixed-methods Appraisal Tool was used to assess the quality of these studies. The quantitative findings were transformed into narrative summaries to be analysed thematically along with the qualitative data. Three themes were identified: (1) Cultural competence (dealing with cultural differences, needs related to original country); (2) Parenthood in a new country (challenges and adaptation to fatherhood, challenging traditional gender norms, lack of extended family and building new support networks, being the main supporter for the family); (3) Needs of the fathers and their personal difficulties. The findings of this review suggest a direction for future research in perinatal psychology. The review also provides insights into the need for social and community support for migrant fathers and how healthcare services can support this group during the perinatal period.

‘We Hold on and Have Patience’: Perspectives and Experiences of Migrant Fathers in Belgian Asylum Centres

ABSTRACTOn arrival in the European Union, most migrants who apply for asylum stay often for extended periods of time in asylum centres, putting parenting practices under pressure. Despite an increased interest in the functioning of migrant families, the perspectives of migrant fathers remain marginalized in practice, policy, and scientific research. Very little is known about how migration impacts fathering practices and how migrant fathers may best be supported in their parental role, especially in unique parenthood contexts such as when residing in an asylum centre. This paper aims to explore migrant fathers' parental practices, experiences, and perspectives while raising their children in an asylum centre in Belgium. Semi‐structured interviews with 21 fathers in asylum centres were conducted. The findings were thematically analysed. The analysis shows that staying in an asylum centre challenged fathers' ability to fulfil paternal tasks and responsibilities such as ensuring safe accommodation, providing food, fulfilling material needs, and bringing their children to school. Different coping strategies such as seeking (in)formal support and problem‐solving were expressed to answer the daily challenges and resist existing reception structures. For most fathers, the roles of provider and protector were the most important. We argue that migrants' unique voices, experiences, and understandings remain left unheard in the organization and the practical implementation of asylum reception initiatives, limiting support for fathers in these institutions and hindering the enjoyment of their roles as fathers during adverse and stressful periods.

Migrant fathers and mental health concern: perceived paternal attachment, self-esteem, maternal nurturance, and mental health problems among left-behind adolescents

ABSTRACT The current study aims to investigate the factors associated with mental health problems to draw the attention of the health experts to design interventions to improve the migrant father–adolescent relationship and their mental health. A quantitative design was utilized to investigate the mental health of left-behind adolescents in relation to paternal attachment, self-esteem, and maternal nurturance. Standardized instruments were administered to 400 left-behind adolescents (LBAs) from two districts in Pakistan using a survey methodology. The results revealed that self-esteem mediated the influence of paternal attachment on LBAs’ mental health problems. Furthermore, maternal nurturance moderated the first part of the mediation process.

Self-reported emotional and behavioural problems among adolescents with migrant parents in Lithuania

Abstract Background The mental health effects of parental emigration on adolescents who stayed behind in Eastern European countries are not fully understood. This study examines the emotional and behavioural difficulties of stay-behind adolescents in Lithuania. Methods The data collection took place January 2022-April 2023 from adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 who attended 25 schools from 15 regions in Lithuania. This cross-sectional study was approved by the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee, No. 2021/11-1378-861. Parents and adolescents provided informed consent to participate in the study. Self-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 2005) and a questionnaire on demographics and health status, were collected. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were calculated by using Stata (version 15.1). Results The sample consisted of 728 adolescents (response rate 52,6%), with a mean age of 14.5 years (SD 1.63), 43.4% males and 54.7% females. Of the total sample, 35,7% lived in rural areas, 84,8% had siblings and, 15.7% had at least one migrant parent. Most staying behind adolescents had migrant fathers (83.3%), and (90,6%) maintained regular online communication with their emigrated parents. Compared to peers living with parents, staying behind adolescents obtained significantly higher emotional and behavioural problems total score (12.3, SD 5.5 vs 10.7, SD 5.5, respectively), with a p-value of 0.006. In addition, adolescents with migrant parents had significantly higher scores than their peers living with parents on the emotional subscale (3.2, SD 2.5 vs 2.5, SD 2.4) and problems subscale (2.9, SD 1.7 vs 2.5, SD 1.7), with a p-value of 0.02 for both subscales. Conclusions This study found higher emotional and behavioural problems among stay-behind adolescents compared to those living with parents in their home country. The findings emphasize the need to implement supportive interventions and increase awareness of these issues in society. Key messages • Stay-behind adolescents in Lithuania experience higher emotional and behavioural problems than their peers living with parents in home country. • Greater focus should be given to the emotional health of stay-behind children and adolescents in migrant-sending countries.

“Missing Masculinities”: Transnational Fathering Experiences in Migrant Families

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the effects of migration-induced male absence on the upbringing of children in selected communities of Zimbabwe. We argue that migration scholarship places more emphasis on the economic benefits of migration such as remittances and imported innovation, but is largely silent on the emotional hardships it causes for the family, especially the children who are left behind. We locate this work in the context of Zimbabwe where men from Matabeleland and the Midlands provinces have traditionally migrated to South Africa in search of employment in the gold mines and agricultural farms. We use the case of Tsholotsho district in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe to explore the impact that the physical absence of fathers had in the socialization of children. Taking a historical narrative angle, the paper uses family histories gathered in Zimbabwe and South Africa over a 12-month period to explore the lived realities of families with migrant fathers. We use data from in-depth interviews with the affected children, the absentee fathers and the women who stayed behind to take care of the children. We observe that there are many children who grew up without their fathers and other male figures because of historical labour migration to South Africa. We conceive the migration-induced absence of fathers and other male relatives as the “missing masculinities”, although we are cognisant that masculinities and masculine roles are not entirely constituted by the presence of men.

Migration and risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: A Swedish national study.

Prior studies report increased risk of schizophrenia (SCZ) in migrants relative to the native-born population; however, few have investigated bipolar disorder (BD) and migrant characteristics which may influence risk. We aimed to examine the risk of SCZ and BD in migrants and their children relative to those of Swedish ancestry, and whether risk varied by age at migration, region of origin, sex, and parental migrant status. We conducted a nested case-control study using 5539 SCZ cases and 20,577 BD cases diagnosed 1988-2013, individually matched to five population-based controls by birth year and sex. Conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate the risk of SCZ and BD by migrant status, region of origin and age at migration, with models stratified by sex. First-generation migrants had increased risk of SCZ and decreased risk of BD. There was a distinct pattern of risk for SCZ by age at migration. Childhood migrants from all regions had increased risk of SCZ, particularly those from Africa. In contrast, risk for BD declined with age at migration, with increased risk only in Nordic child migrants. SCZ and BD diagnoses were decreased in adult migrants, elevated in second-generation migrants (with risk differing by number of migrant parents and greater for those with migrant fathers) and higher in male migrants (vs. female). Age at migration, sex, and region of origin affect risk of SCZ and BD. Further research is required to determine how migration-related factors influence disease etiology and the receipt of these diagnoses.

Family functioning and behavioral problems among left-behind adolescent: Self-esteem as a mediator and mother nurturance as a moderator

Behavioral Problems (BPs) in Pakistani Left-behind adolescents (LBA) remain under-investigated. Previous studies exposed that family functioning had a profound effect on LBAs’ behavioral problems, but the mediating and moderating mechanisms that cause this effect are under-studied. In this study, we planned to investigate factors linked with BPs in a large sample of LBAs. This study conferred how left-behind adolescents (LBA) perception of family functioning (FF) influenced their behavioral problems (BPs) through self-esteem (SE). This study also explicated how mother nurturance (MN) affected family functioning direct effects on self-esteem, as well as family functioning indirect effects on BPs via self-esteem. The data for the present research was collected from 400 LBAs in three waves from Rawalpindi and Rawalakot, Pakistan. The results indicates that family functioning had a significant negative predictive impact on BPs. Furthermore, SE acts as a mediator between family functioning and LBAs’ BPs. The outcomes further explicated that mother nurturance has moderating effect on the relationship between family functioning and self-esteem as well as indirect effects on BPs through self-esteem supporting the moderating mediation model. This research offers some innovative implications for practice and research. So, identifying the issues of left-behind adolescents can provide imperative understandings for the development of interventions aiming at the mental health of left-behind adolescents and need to be implemented to improve family functioning in migrant fathers’ family.

A systematic review and narrative synthesis of fathers’ (including migrant fathers’) experiences of pregnancy and childbirth

ObjectiveThe purpose of this review was to consider factors that influence the experiences of pregnancy and childbirth by fathers including migrant fathers.MethodA systematic review and narrative synthesis were conducted as per the PRISMA guidelines. The spider tool was used to build a search strategy which was used to conduct literature search in eight identified electronic databases: ASSIA, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PUBMED, Sage and Scopus. Grey literature was searched through the King’s Fund Library database, Ethos, The North Grey Literature Collection, Social Care Online and other charity websites such as the Refugee Council and Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The search was conducted across all the databases in the week commencing January 7, 2019, and restricted to studies published in the English language.ResultsThe search across all the eight electronic databases identified 2564 records, 13 records through grey literature databases/websites and an additional 23 records identified through hand-searching/forward citation. The number of records after duplicates were removed was 2229. Record screening based on titles and abstracts identified 69 records for full text screening. Dual screening of these full text records identified 12 full records from 12 separate studies, eight of which were qualitative studies, three of which were quantitative studies and one mixed method study.FindingsThis review has revealed three main themes: influence of society and health professionals; adjustment to a new life of fatherhood; and involvement in maternity care. However, the literature has focused on non-migrant father’s experiences of pregnancy and childbirth, with little attention paid to fathers who may be migrants.Key conclusion and implications for practiceThis review has exposed a dearth of research on migrant fathers’ experiences of pregnancy and childbirth in an era of increasing globalisation and migration between countries. Midwives and other health professionals should be alert to the needs of any father when providing maternity care. More research is needed which considers experiences of migrants and how choosing to move to a new country or being forced to move could influence migrant father’s experiences and therefore their needs.

Renegotiating Roles as Fathers and Workers: Exploring the Experiences of Migrant and Refugee Men in Australia

Migrants represent a significant and growing proportion of Australia’s population. While there has been a surge of academic literature about the experiences of migrant women, and families more generally, less attention has been given to migrant men and their roles as fathers. As fathers have a significant impact upon their children and families’ wellbeing, it is important to understand the factors influencing their wellbeing and caregiving practices within their family units. To better understand the factors contributing to migrant men’s fathering experiences and wellbeing, the authors undertook semi-structured, in-depth interviews and one focus group discussion with 10 migrant and refugee fathers living in Darwin, Australia. We define migrant fathers as those who were born outside of Australia and had children. This exploratory study aims to explore the challenges the fathers faced securing stable employment, providing caregiving, and renegotiating their identities as fathers and workers in a new country and culture. The findings demonstrate that demographic characteristics (such as education and language), structural constraints (such as access to childcare and flexible work), and cultural expectations (such as being the breadwinner and provider) defined the way many of the fathers experienced and rationalised their role as workers and fathers. These findings confirm the importance of employment in promoting and sustaining migrant and refugee men’s wellbeing as they resettle with their families. We offer a preliminary sketch for policy makers and service providers to support migrant and refugee men’s roles and identities as fathers and workers in Australia.

Polish migrant fathers using parental leave in Norway

Objective: This article explores how the Norwegian care regime impacts Polish migrant fathers' caring practices. Background: The present study illustrates the importance of context sensitive research when describing the consequences of migration from migratory-source countries in Eastern Europe. When a father’s labor migration takes place in an institutional context with a care regime which includes earmarked parental leave rights for fathers, it can result in the father having more time with his children. Method: To gain insight into fathers' experiences, in-depth research interviews were carried out with Polish fathers of young children. The majority of the informants live in Norway with their children and partners. Results: A main strength of the present study is the illustration of context-sensitive research when describing the consequences of migration from migratory-source countries in Eastern Europe. Conclusion: The findings in this article show how earmarked leave provides opportunities for the migrant fathers to be accessible and responsible and to interact with their child. These caring practices result in fathers bonding with their children and learning how to care for them. In addition, the migrant fathers experience emotional gains.

Labour markets, families and public policies shaping gender relations and parenting: Introduction to the Special Issue

Objective: This article introduces the reader to the Special Issue "Labour markets, families and public policies shaping gender relations and parenting" and gives a theoretical and empirical overview of gender roles and gender equality in Europe. Background: This Special Issue analyses the connection between labour markets, families, social policy, and gender relations in several European countries. Method: The six included articles are based on qualitative and quantitative approaches and data that have been gathered in Finland, Norway, Poland, Spain, and across the entire EU. Results: Key findings are: (1) In less egalitarian countries, children of single parents suffer more nutritional, educational and social life deprivation. (2) The institutional design of parental leave can contribute to reproducing gender inequality in the use of leave. (3) The institutional design interacts with cultural norms in shaping fatherhood practices of migrant fathers. (4) Individualised, performance-based wage and career schemes can counteract the effects of gender-equalising family policies. (5) Fathers taking leave independently from the mother and for an extended period are more involved in childcare beyond the leave period, and (6) the use of longer unpaid parental leave by mothers leads to a more unequal distribution of childcare between the parents. Conclusion: This Special Issue highlights that even in the most egalitarian countries, there remain persistent challenges to achieving gender equality regarding labour market, institutions and family life.

Return of migrant workers, educational investment in children and intergenerational mobility in China

The slowdown in China’s economic growth in the past decade has forced many migrant workers to return or plan to return to their rural hometowns temporarily. Extant studies on intergenerational mobility pay less attention to temporary migrant households. This paper investigates how migrant father’s return intention influences children’s educational outcomes and permanent incomes using a high-quality nationwide dataset of China (CLDS2012-2018). It finds that though there is no significant correlation between fathers’ and children’s educational attainments, the higher the return probability of the father, the less educational investment he would make in his child. This paper contributes to the literature in two ways: theoretically, it provides a new perspective to observe the intergenerational mobility of migrant workers; and methodologically, it corrects life cycle bias by controlling for the ages of fathers and children and using multi-year mean incomes.

Redefining Fatherhood in a Migratory Context: A Narrative Inquiry into the Experiences of African First-time Fathers in Belgium.

Many African fathers face practices in their host countries that conflict with the conceptions of fatherhood in their countries of origin. They deal with negative stereotypes, including notions of paternal irresponsibility when it comes to embracing child care. This article looks at how exposure to the Belgian norms of fatherhood may redefine the fatherhood practices of African first-time fathers residing in Belgium. Drawing on a qualitative narrative approach, this article explores the perceptions and experiences of African migrant fathers in Belgium and examines how they adapt to a different fathering culture. The findings show that while African first-time fathers acknowledged their primary role as providers, they also embraced new practices that transgress defined gender lines in African culture. In the absence of a larger family support network, respondents face the responsibility of providing prenatal and postnatal support and sharing in child care responsibilities. Findings also shed light on how African fathers with European partners engage in shared decision-making and negotiate on core African values such as male circumcision.

Psychosocial health disparities in early childhood: Socioeconomic status and parent migration background

The association between low socioeconomic status (SES), migration background and psychosocial health could be various in different age stages, rare research has investigated associations in very early childhood. Cross-sectional data of SES, parental migration background, and child’s psychosocial problems among 2149 children were collected (Mage = 24.6 ± 1.8 months, 49.9% girls) from a community population. Indicators of SES included parental education level, maternal work status, and family composition. Child’s psychosocial problems, including social-emotional problems and delay in social-emotional competence, were assessed by the Brief Infant–Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment Problem scale and Competence scale, respectively. Interaction effects between SES and maternal migration background in risk of psychosocial problems were found. Among children of a native-born mother, lower maternal and paternal education levels indicated a higher risk of social-emotional problems and competence delay, respectively. Children of a migrant mother had a higher risk of both social-emotional problems and competence delay if they had a migrant father. The results highlight psychosocial health disparities in 2-year-old children and the need for research into mechanisms underlying these associations.

Sex of first child: like migrant father, like son

Abstract As males in Mexico have the authority in households and dominate migration flows to the US, this paper argues that having a son as the first child provides an early additional candidate for the anchor position in Mexico and for migration trips to the US, making households better off. Fathers with longer migration experiences have higher expectations for future migration trips and stronger incentives to manipulate the sex of their first child. The empirical analysis confirms that by presenting positive effects of fathers’ previous migration experiences on the probability of having a son as a firstborn child, though abortions are widely illegal in Mexico.

Youth and Migration Aspiration in Kerala

The emergence of oil production in Gulf countries and the subsequent oil boom in the 1970s led to massive migration from Kerala to Middle East Gulf countries as part of the post-industrial migratory order. The Gulf countries and their opportunities became an integral part of Kerala's youth life while developing future goals and aspirations. This paper provides insight into the migration aspiration of the youth from Kerala and their awareness of migration. A questionnaire survey was conducted in the second half of 2019 in Calicut, Kerala. The sample consisted of 491 students. Most youths are aware of gulf migration through their family, friends and media. Two out of three youths aspire to migrate abroad in future for a job and related activities. Surprisingly, in Kerala, youth with migrant fathers don't aspire to migrate than youth with non-migrant fathers. While having a migrant friend shows a higher likelihood of aspiration to migrate among youth. In the case of Kerala, in the coming 10 to 20 years, migration will continue as a potential life choice for achieving life goals for youth in Kerala. Policies should promote awareness about migration and facilitate a secure and safe migration for youths.

From breadwinner to bedridden

Within transnational labor, the working capital of migrants may recoil as aging and disability occur, crushing people’s everyday life and aspirations. Drawing from ethnographic fieldwork with Indo-Pakistani minorities in Brescia, northern Italy, the author queries “a case for affliction,” seeing the experience of a breadwinner’s stroke disrupting his household. While for decades Punjabi diasporas have settled abroad remitting to the homeland, social attainment oft en remains precarious for first-time movers and their off spring. Aft er 20-year residence in a destination country, a migrant father’s collapse rebounds on his kindred, who regrettably turn to local welfare and public housing but also readjust personal desires toward sustainable family care. Intersectional analysis abets the participants’ narratives in challenging any set “sense of inequality,” embodied, and embedded in run-of-the-mill racialized capitalism.

The impact of economic recession on the health of migrant fathers over time: results from the Growing up in Ireland longitudinal study

BackgroundThe relationship between economic conditions and health can depend on both the health outcome measured and the composition of the population. Analysis of outcomes by both ethnicity and country of birth has been recommended. The aim of our study is to explore the impact of recession on self-rated health and depression of migrant fathers in Ireland over time, considering both ethnicity and country of birth.MethodsLongitudinal data from waves of a population-representative cohort study (Growing up in Ireland, 2008–2013) was used with Wave 1 collected before the recession and Wave 2 collecting information on how the recession affected families. Socio-demographic variables, self-rated health and depression were compared across three groups of fathers classified by self-identified ethnicity and country of birth: White Irish (n = 5628), Other White European (EU-10) (n = 431), and Black African (n = 192) using chi-square tests and logistic regression models. Rates of follow-up were compared across groups at Wave 3.ResultsPrior to the recession, the rate of employment was lowest for African fathers (51% vs 81% for EU-10 fathers and 92% for Irish fathers, p < 0.001). At Wave 2, African families were more likely to have experienced a very significant effect of the recession (40.1% compared to 22.4% for families from EU-10 and 21.3% for Irish families, p < 0.001). However, the impact of the recession on depression and self-rated health was only found in Irish fathers. By Wave 3, rates of follow-up were lower for migrant fathers, particularly for EU-10 fathers.ConclusionsUnderstanding the relationship between economic conditions and health is complex and may be related to multiple dimensions of socio-economic advantage and disadvantage. African families were already more likely to be disadvantaged prior to the recession and that pattern persisted during the recession. Further research on attrition rates of migrants in population cohort studies is needed and the development of effective strategies for recruitment, follow-up and analysis.

Psychiatric consequences of a father’s leave policy by nativity: a quasi-experimental study in Sweden

BackgroundParental leave use has been found to promote maternal and child health, with limited evidence of mental health impacts on fathers. How these effects vary for minority populations with poorer...