Serial migration and its implications for the parent-child relationship: a retrospective analysis of the experiences of the children of Caribbean immigrants.
This study addressed the potential impact of serial migration for parent-children relationships and for children's psychological well-being. The experience of being separated from their parents during childhood and reunited with them at a later time was retrospectively examined for 48 individuals. A series of measures (e.g., self-esteem, parental identification) associated with appraisals at critical time periods during serial migration (separation, reunion, current) revealed that serial migration can potentially disrupt parent-child bonding and unfavorably affect children's self-esteem and behavior. Time did not appear to be wholly effective in repairing rifts in the parent-child relationship. Risk factors for less successful reunions included lengthy separations and the addition of new members to the family unit in the child's absence.
Smith
Andrea
A
Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Lalonde
Richard N
RN
Johnson
Simone
S
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D012925:Social Conformity; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States