Mental health of older parents with migrant adult-children in Europe

BACKGROUND: As migration patterns continue to shift across Europe, an increasing number of older parents are experiencing the departure of their adult children. This phenomenon has been linked to higher levels of stress, isolation, and loneliness among left-behind parents, which may lead to poor mental and physical health. This study aimed to investigate whether adult children's outmigration is associated with the mental health of older parents in different regions of Europe. METHODS: The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Wave 8 was used to investigate the impact of adult child migration on depression of older parents in four European regions: Western, Northern, Southern, and Central and Eastern Europe. RESULTS: A total study sample was 23,185 older parents composed of Western (5,458), Central and Eastern (10,397), Southern (4,063), and Scandinavian (3,267) Europe. Preliminary results showed that there was a regional difference in the health effects of adult children outmigration in Europe. From the bivariate analysis, older parents in Central and Eastern (F = 4.756, p = 0.003) and Southern (F = 4.675, p = 0.003) regions showed significant differences according to their adult children's migration status while Western and Northern Europe regions did not show the difference in depression levels. According to a multiple regression model, compared to those having no migrant child or all children lives within 500km, those in Central and Eastern Europe region with all (p < 0.001, β = 0.423) or some (p < 0.001, β = 0.309) of adult children were over 500km away were statistically more depressed even after considering extensive other factors. CONCLUSIONS: The outmigration of adult children can profoundly affect the mental health of older parents left-behind in Central and Eastern Europe, emphasizing the need to recognize left-behind parents as a vulnerable population at risk for developing mental health issues.