ReviewPloS one2018
Migration of adult children and mental health of older parents 'left behind': An integrative review.
Review in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Exploring Social Determinants of Mental Health of Older Unforced Migrants: A Systematic Review.The Gerontologist · 2024Pooled it
- The effectiveness of a multidisciplinary collaborative intervention model on improving anxiety and depression in left-behind children and the study of its social support mechanisms.Frontiers in public health · 2026Trial
- Efficacy of path-oriented psychological self-help interventions to improve mental health of empty-nest older adults in the Community of China.BMC psychiatry · 2019Trial
- Family Structure and Its Changes and Depressive Symptoms in Later Life: How Intergenerational Support Makes a Difference.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Centering Asian voices in global aging research: strengthening data infrastructure in East and Southeast Asia.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2026Review
- Parenting-Related Factors Associated With Depression and Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Cureus · 2026Review
- Mother-Child Religious Affiliation Discordance and Mother's Psychosocial Wellbeing in a Rural Sub-Saharan Setting.Journal for the scientific study of religion · 2026Article
- Depression among older parents' and their associated factors after adult children's migration: A mixed method study in an urban setting of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
- 'Care Beyond Co-Residence': A Qualitative Exploration of Emotional and Instrumental Care Gaps Among Older Adults in Migrant Households of Kerala.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- The relationship between cognitive impairment and quality of life in rural older adults with chronic diseases-parallel mediating effects of depressive symptoms and frailty.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Impact of adult son migration on the health wellbeing of older parents and shifts in caregiving patterns: a study in India.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Article
- Understanding intergenerational dynamics and social support's impact on health and well-being of older adults in South Asia: a scoping review.Systematic reviews · 2025Article
- A longitudinal examination of loneliness in left-behind children: the interaction between self-esteem and academic self-efficacy matters.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Disparities in overall survival of gastric cancer patients after radical gastrectomy: an age and rural-urban residence-based cohort study with propensity score matching analysis.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The impact of parental migration on left-behind children's tooth health in China.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Psychological distress among parents with emigrant offspring: A mixed-methods study from Changunarayan Municipality, Nepal.PloS one · 2025Article
- Social and Mental Health Factors Involved in the Severity of Loneliness in Older Individuals in a Spanish Rural Area.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2024Article
- Cultural contexts differentially shape parents' loneliness and wellbeing during the empty nest period.Communications psychology · 2024Review
- Associations between sensory impairment and functional limitations among older Chinese adults: mediating roles of social isolation and cognition.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAlthough a number of studies have examined the effect of the out-migration of children on the mental health of 'left behind' elderly parents, research on the consequences of children's migration on the mental health and well-being of elderly parents left behind is inconclusive and a systematic review is warranted.
objectivesTo identify the association between the left behind or empty nest status and the mental health of older parents, and to identify common risk factors for poor mental health among those left behind.
methodsOnline databases CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus and ProQuest were searched for research (2000-September 2017) that focused on the relationship between the migration of adult children and the mental health of the older parents (≥50 years) left behind. The JBI Checklist for Analytical Cross Sectional Studies was used to assess the methodological quality of the articles.
results25 articles met the inclusion criteria. The studies identified that left behind older parents had higher levels of mental health problems compared to non-left behind. Left behind parents had higher depressive symptoms, higher levels of loneliness, lower life satisfaction, lower cognitive ability and poorer psychological health. A number of risk factors were identified for mental health disorders among the left behind parents, which included living arrangements, gender, education, income, physical health status, physical activity, family and social support, age, rural residence and frequency of children's visit.
conclusionsThis review synthesised the various studies related to the mental health of left behind parents, advancing the theoretical and empirical understanding of the implications of out-migration of adult children on the psychological health and well-being of older parents. More responsive preventive measures and effective management approaches are required for this vulnerable cohort.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.