Qualitative Data on Effects of Early and Prolonged Parent-Child Separation: Understanding Mental Health of Separated-Reunited Chinese American Children

Early and prolonged parent-child separation due to parental migration or immigration may result in attachment disruption that can threaten the long-term mental health and functioning of affected children, and these risks can persist following reunification and through adulthood. Although sending infants back to the home country for rearing is often practiced among Chinese immigrants, especially low-income families, research has been sparse in understanding the long-term impact of early and prolonged parent-child separation and reunification on disparities in mental health and functioning among separated-reunited children and the mechanism through which such relationships may operate.

Funded by National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMH), we collected semi-structured interview data from 24 parent-child dyads who have experienced separation. The data included interview scrpits with primary coding to understand the mental health impacts, risk/protective factors, and service needs among separated-reunited Chinese American children.