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Abstract
Violence against children and adverse mental health outcomes are potential results from international parental migration during childhood, have serious short- and long-term impacts on health, and are public health priorities. This dissertation aims to understand associations of parental migration with adverse outcomes in children and youth, including the role of individual, relationship, community, and social factors. This study examined associations between parental international migration and two sets of potential outcomes: 1) Self-reported experience of emotional, physical or sexual violence before age 18; 2) Self-reported adverse mental health outcomes. This study may inform and guide future research, practice, and policy, and may help protect children with parents living abroad.
The study design is based on secondary analysis of Violence against Children Survey
(VACS) data previously collected in the Republic of Moldova. The prevalence of socio-demographic variables and the outcomes of interest were described by parental migration status. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between parental migration and the outcomes of interest, including models adjusted for relevant covariates. All analyses were weighted for the complex survey design.
The prevalence of violence against children is high in Moldova, with up to half of males experiencing physical violence. Mental distress and having been drunk in the last month were reported frequently. Among females, mother’s migration was associated with emotional violence (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3–8.5), ever having considered suicide (AOR = 4.2; 95% CI 1.2–14.3), and having been drunk in the last month (AOR = 3.2; 95% CI 1.4 – 7.2). For males, father’s migration was associated with physical violence (AOR = 2.1; 95% CI 1.1–3.9). Results also illustrated that factors from the socio-ecological model were significantly associated with outcomes of interest, particularly violence in and perceived safety of the community.
These results indicate the need in Moldova to protect children from violence and improve the mental health outcomes of those exposed to parental migration and violence. Further, interventions to protect children with parental migration may need to be tailored around key criteria, such as the sex of the migrating parent and the child.