BMC Psychiatry
Volume 15, Issue 1, 2015

Risk of mental health and nutritional problems for left-behind children of international labor migrants (Article) (Open Access)

Wickramage K.* , Siriwardhana C. , Vidanapathirana P. , Weerawarna S. , Jayasekara B. , Pannala G. , Adikari A. , Jayaweera K. , Peiris S. , Siribaddana S. , Sumathipala A.
  • a Health Unit, International Organization for Migration, No. 62, Green Path, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka
  • b Institute for Research and Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka, Anglia Ruskin University, Faculty of Medical Science, Chelmsford, United Kingdom, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom
  • c Institute for Research and Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka, National University Hospital, Department of Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery, Singapore, Singapore
  • d Institute for Research and Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • e Institute for Research and Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • f Institute for Research and Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • g Institute for Research and Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • h Institute for Research and Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • i Health Unit, International Organization for Migration, No. 62, Green Path, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka, Ministry of Health, Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • j Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Mihintale, Sri Lanka
  • k Institute for Research and Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka, Keele University, Research Institute for Primary Care and Health Services, Faculty of Health, Keele, United Kingdom

Abstract

Background: One-in-ten Sri Lankans are employed abroad as International Labor Migrants (ILM), mainly as domestic maids or low-skilled laborers. Little is known about the impact their migration has on the health status of the children they 'leave behind'. This national study explored associations between the health status of 'left-behind' children of ILM's with those from comparative non-migrant families. Methods: A cross-sectional study design with multi-stage random sampling was used to survey a total of 820 children matched for both age and sex. Socio-demographic and health status data were derived using standardized pre-validated instruments. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to estimate the differences in mental health outcomes between children of migrant vs. non-migrant families. Results: Two in every five left-behind children were shown to have mental disorders [95%CI: 37.4-49.2, p < 0.05], suggesting that socio-emotional maladjustment and behavioural problems may occur in absence of a parent in left-behind children. Male left-behind children were more vulnerable to psychopathology. In the adjusted analyses, significant associations between child psychopathological outcomes, child gender and parent's mental health status were observed. Over a quarter (30%) of the left-behind children aged 6-59 months were 'underweight or severely underweight' compared to 17.7% of non-migrant children. Conclusions: Findings provide evidence on health consequences for children of migrant worker families in a country experiencing heavy out-migration of labour, where remittances from ILM's remain as the single highest contributor to the economy. These findings may be relevant for other labour 'sending countries' in Asia relying on contractual labor migration for economic gain. Further studies are needed to assess longitudinal health impacts on the children left-behind. © Wickramage et al.; licensee BioMed Central.

Author Keywords

Migrant workers Sri Lanka Left-behind families Child mental health

Index Keywords

Parents health care survey demography sex ratio mental health human validation study nutritional disorder comparative study health status ethnology international labor migrant Nutrition Disorders Mental Disorders Sri Lanka Cross-Sectional Studies mental disease migrant worker cross-sectional study Humans maladjustment psychology Adolescent parent male preschool child Socioeconomic Factors Infant risk factor Risk Factors Child, Preschool socioeconomics female child health Article underweight major clinical study Anxiety, Separation migration separation anxiety infant welfare Sex Distribution outcome assessment Emigration and Immigration Transients and Migrants health hazard employment Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84925328744&doi=10.1186%2fs12888-015-0412-2&partnerID=40&md5=278e2ae59434dce95bbadf11414bde79
DOI: 10.1186/s12888-015-0412-2
ISSN: 1471244X
Cited by: 20
Original Language: English