Family separation and attachment in young adults who were once left behind by caregiver migration

Abstract

This study examined young adults' attachment with their mothers and fathers after experiencing separation from these caregivers in childhood due to one or more caregivers migrating out of the family's home country. From 774 respondents, 110 reported parental migration. Participants (M = 20.98; SD = 3.12; 68.1% female) were recruited from Latin American universities. Regarding maternal attachment, young adults who experienced separation from their mothers due to maternal migration were not significantly different from young adults who had not experienced such separation. In contrast, young adults who experienced separation from their fathers due to paternal migration (n = 79) reported higher alienation from their fathers, as well as lower attachment security, communication, and trust, than respondents who had not experienced separation. These differences were significant and moderately sized. Respondents who had frequent phone/video contact with their fathers after separation reported higher attachment security than respondents who did not maintain frequent contact with their fathers. This effect was strongest when respondents were older at the time of their fathers' migration. Findings suggest that the effects of separation from fathers on attachment persist into young adulthood, even when the separation occurred, on average, nearly 15 years earlier.

Keywords: Attachment; Family separation; Latinx; Migration.