Migration and the Health of Non-migrant Family: Findings from the Jamaica Return(ed) Migrants Study

Research on the association between migration and health among nonmigrant family in Jamaica is limited. Data from the 2012 Jamaica Return(ed) Migrants Study (N = 621) and weighted regression models were used to investigate the association between migration and health among left-behind women (n = 323) and men (n = 298) in Jamaica. Compared to women whose children lived in Jamaica, women who had a child abroad reported lower odds of good mental health (OR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.21, 0.97). Men in this situation were less satisfied with their lives (b = - 2.370, p = 0.031). Women reported better physical (b = - 2.113, p = 0.010) and mental (b = - 3.119, p = 0.039) health scores when a parent, but not a grandparent, lived abroad. Men with a migrant spouse/partner reported significantly more physical illness symptoms than men whose spouse/partner lived in Jamaica (b = 3.215, p = 0.013). Migration exerts disparate health impacts on left-behind family and may disrupt social relationships.