Family Structure, Parent-Child Interaction, and the Subjective Well-Being of Children with Different Migration Experiences: A Comparative Study in Ghana and China

Ghana and China are two countries in Africa and East Asia which both experience significant migration flows. Despite the different nature between transnational and internal migration, the size and pattern of migration are comparable in these two countries. However, to date little is known of the well-being of children in the two contexts of migration, let alone the comparison with each other. This study aims to quantitatively analyse subjective well-being outcomes (health, happiness and life satisfaction) of children with different migration experiences: children who have been away and returned with one/both parents currently away; children who have been away and returned and currently live in non-migrant families; children who never migrated but have one or both parents currently away; and children who never migrated and live currently in non-migrant families. Particularly, it aims to investigate how children’s well-being is associated with their different experiences of parental migration, family structure, and parent-child interaction, as well as how these associations differ between the two contexts of migration in Ghana and China. Data comes from two large scale surveys in Ghana (N = 2760) and China (N =5735) respectively. Findings of the research will inform the design of policy and service programs to improve the well-being of children living in different contexts of migration.