The lived experiences of Jamaican barrel children: A qualitative study

Abstract

The study examined the overarching question of what were the childhood experiences of adults who were left-behind in Jamaica while their mothers emigrated to the U.S. during their developmental years (0 to 18 years old). Fourteen participants (11 females, 3 males) ranging in age from 22 to 72 years of age (M=45.6 years; SD=2.74) completed focused interviews containing open-ended questions designed to explore the feelings and effects of maternal emigration from Jamaica to the U.S. Participants ages at the time their mothers emigrated ranged from 2 to 17 years of age (M = 8.07; SD = 5.28), with the length of separation from their mothers ranging from 3 to 16 years (M = 8.54; SD = 4.54). Thematic analysis of the results revealed three major themes, specifically: a) participants have generally positive childhood memories and experiences before maternal immigration to the U.S.; b) participants have generally negative childhood memories and experiences after maternal immigration to the U.S.; and c) the impacts of maternal immigration are significant. In particular, the findings revealed substantial effects on mental health and the mother-child bond that persisted into adulthood and which were not always remediable. The findings of this study underscore the importance of social workers and others working in the field of immigration being aware of the population of left-behind children and their families and the impacts of parental migration during the formative years. More study needs to be undertaken with this population.