1. The impact of parental migration on psychological well-being of children in Ghana
- Author
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Raturi, R., Cebotari, V., RS: GSBE other - not theme-related research, and RS: UNU-MERIT
- Subjects
Transnational families ,Parental migration ,CHILDHOOD ,LEFT-BEHIND CHILDREN ,Geographie humaine & démographie [H05] [Sciences sociales & comportementales, psychologie] ,Ghana ,Psychological well-being ,RURAL CHINA ,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) ,FACE ,MIGRANT PARENTS ,Human geography & demography [H05] [Social & behavioral sciences, psychology] ,FAMILY-LIFE ,GENDER ,HEALTH ,Children left-behind ,TRANSNATIONAL MIGRATION ,Demography - Abstract
This study is the first to employ panel data to examine the time-varying effects of internal and international parental migration on the psychological well-being of children who stay behind in an African context. The analysis employs data collected in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from school going children aged 12-21 in two urban areas with high out-migration rates in Ghana - Kumasi and Sunyani. Using children's self-reports, an analysis was conducted separately for boys (N = 7 81) and girls (N = 7 05). Results indicate that girls and boys with the mother away internally or internationally are equally or more likely to have higher levels of psychological well-being when compared to boys and girls of non-migrant parents. A higher level of well-being is observed amongst girls when parents migrate and divorce. However, parental migration and divorce are more likely to increase the psychological vulnerability of boys. In Ghana, the psychological well-being of children is nuanced by which parent has migrated, marital status of migrant parent and the gender of the child.
- Published
- 2022
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