Yao Fu, Maruja M B Asis, Sukamdi, Xiaochen Zhou, Lucy P Jordan
{"title":"A life course approach to examine cumulative impacts of parental migration on children's psychological well-being and education in Southeast Asia.","authors":"Yao Fu, Maruja M B Asis, Sukamdi, Xiaochen Zhou, Lucy P Jordan","doi":"10.1037/dev0001879","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Researchers have raised concerns about parental migration's effects on various aspects of the left-behind children's development. However, there is limited understanding of how parental migration influences children over the life course. This study aimed to fill this gap by investigating how exposure to parental migration during childhood shapes later development in Indonesia and the Philippines, two major labor-sending countries in Southeast Asia. Adopting a life course perspective, we examine how the timing, sequence, and cumulative extent of parental migration affect children's outcomes. We used longitudinal data from 1,023 households in 2008 (with children aged 4.56 on average) and 849 households in 2016/17 (with children aged 12.78 on average). Retrospective information on children's exposure to parental migration during early childhood (under 3), middle childhood (4-5), and late childhood (6-10) was constructed for its impact on individuals' school performance and psychological well-being during early adolescence (11-14). The findings indicate that the timing of children's initial exposure to parental migration impacts certain aspects of their development. In Indonesia, paternal migration during middle or late childhood is associated with a trade-off between improved school performance and reduced prosocial behavior. For Filipino children, maternal migration during the first 3 years is linked to higher levels of internalizing problems, while migration during middle and late childhood reduces the risk of such problems. These findings underscore the importance of tailored policies and support programs that acknowledge the diverse impacts of parental migration across different developmental stages, considering distinct cultural contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48464,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Developmental Psychology","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001879","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Researchers have raised concerns about parental migration's effects on various aspects of the left-behind children's development. However, there is limited understanding of how parental migration influences children over the life course. This study aimed to fill this gap by investigating how exposure to parental migration during childhood shapes later development in Indonesia and the Philippines, two major labor-sending countries in Southeast Asia. Adopting a life course perspective, we examine how the timing, sequence, and cumulative extent of parental migration affect children's outcomes. We used longitudinal data from 1,023 households in 2008 (with children aged 4.56 on average) and 849 households in 2016/17 (with children aged 12.78 on average). Retrospective information on children's exposure to parental migration during early childhood (under 3), middle childhood (4-5), and late childhood (6-10) was constructed for its impact on individuals' school performance and psychological well-being during early adolescence (11-14). The findings indicate that the timing of children's initial exposure to parental migration impacts certain aspects of their development. In Indonesia, paternal migration during middle or late childhood is associated with a trade-off between improved school performance and reduced prosocial behavior. For Filipino children, maternal migration during the first 3 years is linked to higher levels of internalizing problems, while migration during middle and late childhood reduces the risk of such problems. These findings underscore the importance of tailored policies and support programs that acknowledge the diverse impacts of parental migration across different developmental stages, considering distinct cultural contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
期刊介绍:
Developmental Psychology ® publishes articles that significantly advance knowledge and theory about development across the life span. The journal focuses on seminal empirical contributions. The journal occasionally publishes exceptionally strong scholarly reviews and theoretical or methodological articles. Studies of any aspect of psychological development are appropriate, as are studies of the biological, social, and cultural factors that affect development. The journal welcomes not only laboratory-based experimental studies but studies employing other rigorous methodologies, such as ethnographies, field research, and secondary analyses of large data sets. We especially seek submissions in new areas of inquiry and submissions that will address contradictory findings or controversies in the field as well as the generalizability of extant findings in new populations. Although most articles in this journal address human development, studies of other species are appropriate if they have important implications for human development. Submissions can consist of single manuscripts, proposed sections, or short reports.