Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada.
Faculty of Nursing, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C 5S7, Canada.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Nov 3;17(21):8127. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17218127.
Driven by the global economic crisis, families are developing strategies for survival, including self-directed female migration. Female migration has negative and positive impacts on families in rural areas. The purpose of the project was to explore the health and wellness experiences of elderly family caregivers who have female family members who have migrated to improve the status of their families. In this focused ethnographic study, we interviewed elderly family members who had a female family member who migrated outside their community for employment. Participants were enrolled from northern Ghanaian communities known to be economically disadvantaged in comparison to their southern counterparts. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English. Data were analyzed based on thematic content. Majors themes that emerged were reasons for children leaving their families; physical, emotional, and spiritual health; and social and economic struggles. Challenges of family care work undertaken by the elderly in families with emigrated female kin strongly also emerged as a theme. New contextual knowledge was developed about the impact of self-directed female migration on the health and wellness of elderly family caregivers. The information is valuable for the development of culturally appropriate social support and health practices for female migrants and their families.
受全球经济危机的影响，家庭正在制定生存策略，包括女性自主迁移。女性迁移对农村家庭既有正面影响，也有负面影响。本项目旨在探讨有女性家庭成员迁移到外地就业的农村老年家庭照顾者的健康和幸福体验，以改善其家庭的地位。在这项重点民族志研究中，我们采访了有女性家庭成员迁移到外地就业的老年家庭成员。参与者来自加纳北部社区，与南部社区相比，这些社区在经济上处于不利地位。所有访谈均进行了录音、逐字转录，并翻译成英文。数据根据主题内容进行分析。出现的主要主题包括儿童离开家庭的原因、身体、情感和精神健康以及社会和经济困难。此外，还出现了一个主题，即有移民女性亲属的家庭中老年人承担家庭护理工作所面临的挑战。关于自主女性迁移对老年家庭照顾者的健康和幸福的影响，我们获得了新的背景知识。这些信息对于为女性移民及其家庭制定文化上适宜的社会支持和保健做法很有价值。
