Health and Raising Migrant Children

Millions of children worldwide are on the move, driven by conflict, poverty, or climate change; they are seeking a safer place to live and better life chances. These children deserve protection, children care, and all the support and services they need to thrive. But these children face significant challenges when moving, at their destination, or on return journeys.

A growing number of studies have focused on the impact of parental migration on children. They have found that left-behind children are more likely to suffer from depression and suicidal ideation and to have more significant anxiety than their peers whose parents have not migrated. They also have lower self-confidence and are more likely to be lonely.

In addition, many migrant parents have to leave their children behind to pursue work. This can result in family disruption, financial instability, and an increased risk of abuse. Moreover, poor coping skills and emotional adjustment are associated with lower HRQOL. These are particularly common among migrant children who may be dealing with language barriers, culture shock, or the loss of parental care.

As a result, children are often exposed to various adverse conditions and experiences that can compromise their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This is especially true for migrant children who are frequently deprived of sleep, have inadequate nutrition, lack adequate access to healthcare, and are exposed to various forms of violence or trauma.

Evaluating a child’s HRQOL can be important for identifying and treating hidden morbidity and health needs not uncovered by traditional clinical evaluation and treatment. For example, patients with low HRQOL are at increased risk for several medical problems, including chronic disease, pain, discomfort, depression, or other mental disorders.

We found that migrant children scored lower on HRQOL, associated with parental rejection, mother’s overprotection, less emotional support, badly getting along with their classmates, and not using social support well. In addition, a positive relationship was observed between the level of personal support and utilizing social support. This means that if the migrant children received more emotional support and could use it efficiently, their HRQOL would improve.

This is an essential finding for improving the health-related quality of life for migrant children. Moreover, it can be used to prevent migrant children from developing health-related problems that could compromise their long-term survival.