https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(19)32540-1.pdf

A future for the world's children? A WHO-UNICEF-Lancet Commission

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(18)32114-7.pdf

The UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health: the health of a world on the move

The Migration Myth in Policy and Practice: Dreams, Development and Despair

Prevalence of depressive symptoms in primary school students in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Labour migration is a challenge for the globalised world due to its long-term effects such as the formation of transnational families. These families, where family members of migrant workers are "left-behind", are becoming a common phenomenon in many low- and middle-income countries. Our systematic literature review investigated the effects of international parental labour migration on the mental health and well-being of left-behind children. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we performed searches in PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar, resulting in 30 finally included studies. We found that mental health and well-being outcomes of left-behind children differed across and sometimes even within regions. However, only studies conducted in the Americas and South Asia observed purely negative effects. Overall, left-behind children show abnormal Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire scores and report higher levels of depression and loneliness than children who do not live in transnational families. Evidence from the studies suggests that gender of the migrant parent, culture and other transnational family characteristics contribute to the well-being and mental health of left-behind children. Further research utilising longitudinal data is needed to better understand the complex and lasting effects on left-behind children.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/12/4335/pdf

Effects of International Labour Migration on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Left-Behind Children: A Systematic Literature Review.

https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/files/173760245/LBC_manuscript_07092018_revised.pdf

Hacer Sonmez

Papers

Health impacts of parental migration on left-behind children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis