School of Human and Community Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Fam Process. 2012 Sep;51(3):376-90. doi: 10.1111/j.1545-5300.2012.01407.x.
Much has been written about the experiences and stresses of those who emigrate. By contrast, little attention has been paid to the experiences of those who stay behind-family members and friends who for various reasons do not to join their loved ones in the destination country. In this article, I describe the experiences of some South Africans whose families and friends have emigrated. This study forms part of a larger research project focusing on the impact of emigration on South African family life. Twenty-one participants were interviewed by means of a semistructured interview at least 6 months after one or more family member(s) and/or friend(s) left South Africa, to explore participants' experiences around their loved ones' emigration. A thematic analysis of the data reveals that those left behind experience various emotions, ranging from emotional ambivalence to anger and distress. Emigration is mostly experienced as a vast loss, almost akin to a "death," bringing about significant changes in social networks and relationships. The therapeutic significance of the findings for those working with emigrant families is also explored.
关于移民的经历和压力，已经有很多文献进行了探讨。相比之下，对于那些因为各种原因选择留在国内、无法与亲人团聚的留守者（移民者的家属和朋友）的经历，却很少受到关注。在本文中，我描述了一些南非人的经历，他们的家人和朋友已经移民了。这项研究是一个更大的研究项目的一部分，该项目的重点是移民对南非家庭生活的影响。通过半结构化访谈，在一个或多个家庭成员和/或朋友离开南非至少 6 个月后，对 21 名参与者进行了访谈，以探讨参与者在亲人移民方面的经历。对数据的主题分析表明，留守者会经历各种情绪，从情感矛盾到愤怒和痛苦。移民大多被视为巨大的损失，几乎类似于“死亡”，导致社交网络和人际关系发生重大变化。本文还探讨了这些发现对于那些与移民家庭合作的人的治疗意义。
