Peer-reviewed article
Parental migration status moderates the link between parent–child relationship and children's well‐being through psychological distress
Imelu G. Mordeno, I Marie Joy S. Gallemit, Bea Fatima B. Bangcola, Jinky Joy Jessica L. Busaco, Reignajean T. Tuto et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how parental migration affects children's well-being by looking at the relationship between parent-child connection, psychological distress, and overall well-being. The research included 743 children with parents working abroad and 688 children with both parents present. The findings show that a strong parent-child relationship reduces psychological distress, which in turn improves children's emotional and social well-being. This protective effect of a good parent-child relationship is especially important for children whose parents have migrated for work.
Key points
- Psychological distress mediates the link between parent-child relationship quality and children's well-being
- The negative association between parent-child relationship and psychological distress is stronger for left-behind children than for non-left-behind children
- Children with higher quality relationships with parents show decreased psychological distress symptoms, particularly those with parents working overseas
- Greater parent-child relationship quality results in lowered psychological distress and increased emotional, psychological, and social well-being
- Results suggest interventions should focus on managing psychological distress and improving well-being in children with migrant parents
Limitations
The study relies on self-reported data from children, which may be subject to recall bias or social desirability bias. The cross-sectional nature of the data (implied by the design described) means we cannot determine causality or the direction of effects over time.
Abstract
The effects of parental migration on the well-being of left-behind children (LBC) are varied. Several studies demonstrated that parental migration reduces children's psychological health but other research showed contradictory results. This study sought to clarify this issue by examining the mediating role of psychological distress and the moderating role of parental migration status in the association between the parent-child relationship and children's psychological distress. A total of 743 LBC and 688 non-LBC self-reported their parent-child relationship, psychological distress, and well-being. Findings showed that psychological distress mediated the association between parent-child relationship and children's well-being. This denotes that greater parent-child relationship results into lowered levels of psychological distress, and in turn, increases children's emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Moreover, the link between parent-child relationship and psychological distress was found to be contingent to parental migration status. Specifically, the negative association between parent-child relationship and psychological distress was especially strong among LBC in contrast to non- LBC. This implies that children with higher quality relationships with their parents tend to exhibit decreased severity of psychological distress symptoms, especially in children whose parents are working overseas. These results underscore the dynamic role of parent-child relationship in the well-being of LBC, and suggest ways to develop intervention programs that include cultivating skills in managing psychological distress and improving the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of LBC.