Self-reported emotional and behavioural problems among adolescents with migrant parents in Lithuania

BACKGROUND: The mental health effects of parental emigration on adolescents who stayed behind in Eastern European countries are not fully understood. This study examines the emotional and behavioural difficulties of stay-behind adolescents in Lithuania. METHODS: The data collection took place January 2022-April 2023 from adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 who attended 25 schools from 15 regions in Lithuania. This cross-sectional study was approved by the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee, No. 2021/11-1378-861. Parents and adolescents provided informed consent to participate in the study. Self-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 2005) and a questionnaire on demographics and health status, were collected. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were calculated by using Stata (version 15.1). RESULTS: The sample consisted of 728 adolescents (response rate 52,6%), with a mean age of 14.5 years (SD 1.63), 43.4% males and 54.7% females. Of the total sample, 35,7% lived in rural areas, 84,8% had siblings and, 15.7% had at least one migrant parent. Most staying behind adolescents had migrant fathers (83.3%), and (90,6%) maintained regular online communication with their emigrated parents. Compared to peers living with parents, staying behind adolescents obtained significantly higher emotional and behavioural problems total score (12.3, SD 5.5 vs 10.7, SD 5.5, respectively), with a p-value of 0.006. In addition, adolescents with migrant parents had significantly higher scores than their peers living with parents on the emotional subscale (3.2, SD 2.5 vs 2.5, SD 2.4) and problems subscale (2.9, SD 1.7 vs 2.5, SD 1.7), with a p-value of 0.02 for both subscales. CONCLUSIONS: This study found higher emotional and behavioural problems among stay-behind adolescents compared to those living with parents in their home country. The findings emphasize the need to implement supportive interventions and increase awareness of these issues in society. KEY MESSAGES: • Stay-behind adolescents in Lithuania experience higher emotional and behavioural problems than their peers living with parents in home country. • Greater focus should be given to the emotional health of stay-behind children and adolescents in migrant-sending countries.