Migratory separation, when parents migrate and leave their children behind, was investigated in a case-control sample of 9- to 10-year-olds living in inner-city communities in Kingston and St Andrew, Jamaica (N = 54). Data analyses using descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations showed that children's reactions to their parents' migration were directly related to poor school performance and psychological difficulties. Additionally, being currently exposed to violence in the home and/or community was significantly associated with high scores on a measure of grief intensity. "Protective" factors included having someone to talk to about the migration and living in a supportive family. Migratory separation needs detailed investigation like that devoted to other childhood family disruptions, such as parental divorce or death. Copyright 2005 by the Educational Publishing Foundation.

reunification Child shifting Migratory separation Childhood loss

Jamaica urban population Child, Abandoned educational status Follow-Up Studies human controlled study Child Behavior Disorders death Adaptation, Psychological Affective Symptoms social support parental deprivation academic achievement Maternal Deprivation mental disease school child family Humans Domestic Violence male Acculturation female Risk Factors Article migration Paternal Deprivation normal human Emigration and Immigration personality assessment grief divorce Child