Refugees asylumseekers and undocumented migrants and parenthood Living

Refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants and parenthood: Living transnationally Lisa Merry, Sandra Pelaez, Nancy Edwards

Objective: To synthesize the recent qualitative literature and identify the integrative themes describing the parenthood experiences of refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants Merry L, Pelaez S, Edwards NC. Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Undocumented Migrants and the Experience of Parenthood: A synthesis of the qualitative literature. Globalization and Health. 2017; 13: 75.

Methods: § Seven online databases for the period Jan 2006 to Feb 2017 § French and English peer-reviewed articles and graduate-level dissertations § Qualitative literature that examined the parenthood experiences* of refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants * • Experience of becoming a parent and/or the experience of parenting (i. e. , the process of supporting the physical, social, psychological and intellectual development) a child/children including teenagers and youth

Methods: § Data extracted and descriptively summarised included: • Paper characteristics: publication year, language, and discipline • Study information: the objective, research design, the data collection methods, country location and migrant population studied § Thematic analysis was used to identify integrative themes that reflected and described the parenthood experiences of refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants across the research

Results

Results Descriptor Location of study United States Europe Australia or New Zealand Canada Israel LMIC Migration Source Region Latin America Sub-Saharan Africa South East Asia North Africa and/or Middle Eastern Europe or Russia South Asia N= 138 studies 54. 3 % (75) 14. 5 % (20) 12. 3 % (17) 2. 2 % (3) 2. 2% (3) 44. 9 % (62) 39. 9 % (55) 15. 2 % (21) 13. 8 % (19) 8. 7 % (12) 8. 0 % (11) Descriptor Migrant group Undocumented Refugee Asylum-seeker Parents Mothers Fathers Mothers and fathers Mothers and extended family Mothers, fathers and extended family N= 138 studies 44. 9 % (62) 54. 3 % (75) 7. 2 % (10) 50. 7 % (70) 6. 5 % (9) 37. 7 % (52) 2. 2 % (3) 2. 9 % (4)

Results Descriptor Location of study United States Europe Australia or New Zealand Canada Israel LMIC Migration Source Region Latin America Sub-Saharan Africa South East Asia North Africa and/or Middle Eastern Europe or Russia South Asia N= 138 studies 54. 3 % (75) 14. 5 % (20) 12. 3 % (17) 2. 2 % (3) 2. 2% (3) 44. 9 % (62) 39. 9 % (55) 15. 2 % (21) 13. 8 % (19) 8. 7 % (12) 8. 0 % (11) Descriptor Migrant group Undocumented Refugee Asylum-seeker Parents Mothers Fathers Mothers and fathers Mothers and extended family Mothers, fathers and extended family N= 138 studies 44. 9 % (62) 54. 3 % (75) 7. 2 % (10) 50. 7 % (70) 6. 5 % (9) 37. 7 % (52) 2. 2 % (3) 2. 9 % (4)

Results Descriptor Location of study United States Europe Australia or New Zealand Canada Israel LMIC Migration Source Region Latin America Sub-Saharan Africa South East Asia North Africa and/or Middle Eastern Europe or Russia South Asia N= 138 studies 54. 3 % (75) 14. 5 % (20) 12. 3 % (17) 2. 2 % (3) 2. 2% (3) 44. 9 % (62) 39. 9 % (55) 15. 2 % (21) 13. 8 % (19) 8. 7 % (12) 8. 0 % (11) Descriptor Migrant group Undocumented Refugee Asylum-seeker Parents Mothers Fathers Mothers and fathers Mothers and extended family Mothers, fathers and extended family N= 138 studies 44. 9 % (62) 54. 3 % (75) 7. 2 % (10) 50. 7 % (70) 6. 5 % (9) 37. 7 % (52) 2. 2 % (3) 2. 9 % (4)

Results Descriptor Location of study United States Europe Australia or New Zealand Canada Israel LMIC Migration Source Region Latin America Sub-Saharan Africa South East Asia North Africa and/or Middle Eastern Europe or Russia South Asia N= 138 studies 54. 3 % (75) 14. 5 % (20) 12. 3 % (17) 2. 2 % (3) 2. 2% (3) 44. 9 % (62) 39. 9 % (55) 15. 2 % (21) 13. 8 % (19) 8. 7 % (12) 8. 0 % (11) Descriptor Migrant group Undocumented Refugee Asylum-seeker Parents Mothers Fathers Mothers and fathers Mothers and extended family Mothers, fathers and extended family N= 138 studies 44. 9 % (62) 54. 3 % (75) 7. 2 % (10) 50. 7 % (70) 6. 5 % (9) 37. 7 % (52) 2. 2 % (3) 2. 9 % (4)

Results Descriptor Location of study United States Europe Australia or New Zealand Canada Israel LMIC Migration Source Region Latin America Sub-Saharan Africa South East Asia North Africa and/or Middle Eastern Europe or Russia South Asia N= 138 studies 54. 3 % (75) 14. 5 % (20) 12. 3 % (17) 2. 2 % (3) 2. 2% (3) 44. 9 % (62) 39. 9 % (55) 15. 2 % (21) 13. 8 % (19) 8. 7 % (12) 8. 0 % (11) Descriptor Migrant group Undocumented Refugee Asylum-seeker Parents Mothers Fathers Mothers and fathers Mothers and extended family Mothers, fathers and extended family N= 138 studies 44. 9 % (62) 54. 3 % (75) 7. 2 % (10) 50. 7 % (70) 6. 5 % (9) 37. 7 % (52) 2. 2 % (3) 2. 9 % (4)

Results Descriptor Location of study United States Europe Australia or New Zealand Canada Israel LMIC Migration Source Region Latin America Sub-Saharan Africa South East Asia North Africa and/or Middle Eastern Europe or Russia South Asia N= 138 studies 54. 3 % (75) 14. 5 % (20) 12. 3 % (17) 2. 2 % (3) 2. 2% (3) 44. 9 % (62) 39. 9 % (55) 15. 2 % (21) 13. 8 % (19) 8. 7 % (12) 8. 0 % (11) Descriptor Migrant group Undocumented Refugee Asylum-seeker Parents Mothers Fathers Mothers and fathers Mothers and extended family Mothers, fathers and extended family N= 138 studies 44. 9 % (62) 54. 3 % (75) 7. 2 % (10) 50. 7 % (70) 6. 5 % (9) 37. 7 % (52) 2. 2 % (3) 2. 9 % (4)

Results: integrative themes 1) Experiencing hardship and loss in the context of precarious migration and past traumas • Fear of deportation and family separation, ineligible for services • Parenthood result of rape, past memories of war and loss of family affect relationships with children and intensifies safety concerns for children

Results: integrative themes 2) Building resilience and strength by bridging language, norms and expectations • Children source of strength and justification for sacrifice • Family, faith and maintenance of language and culture key resources • New languages and ways of doing empowering for parents and children

Results: integrative themes 3) Living transnationally: obligations, movements & resources • Supporting family and parenting children back home • Transnational ties maintained through serial migration, deportation and return migration • Transnational support and resources

Implications § Perspectives of fathers and extended family members § Needs of asylum-seeker parents § Research in LMIC contexts § Address issues related to migrant parents’ precarious status and effects of trauma, which pose unique challenges for these families § Enhance strength and resilience of migrant families § A transnational lens may be beneficial § Addressing transnational concerns (e. g. , family separation and reunification) § Acknowledging transnational resources and fostering a transnational identity § Conducting transnational research

Thank you! Lisa. merry@umontreal. ca