For millions of families across Asia, international labour migration has become part of a household livelihood strategy that is motivated by a desire to improve the life chances of the next generation. Yet, there has been relatively little research on transnational householding and the impacts of parental migration on children who stay behind. In this context, the Wave 1 research team first set out in 2008 to collect survey data from around 1,000 households in four study countries (Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) as part of an investigation into ‘Child Health and Migrant Parents in South-East Asia’ (CHAMPSEA). The findings, using children in non-migrant households as a comparison group, have enhanced knowledge and understanding of the impact of parental (and increasingly mothers’) absence on the health and well-being of (a) pre-school children aged 3, 4 and 5 years and (b) children in middle childhood aged 9, 10 and 11 years left in sending communities.

By surveying/interviewing members of the CHAMPSEA Wave 1 sample using the same mixed-methods research design that capitalizes on the complementary strengths of quantitative and qualitative methods, CHAMPSEA Wave 2 investigates the longer-term impacts of parental absence on the CHAMPSEA children in Indonesia and the Philippines. Primary data is first collected using carefully designed survey instruments in order to create a unique longitudinal data set that allow for the investigation of multiple dimensions of children’s health and well-being. The longitudinal data set includes anthropometric measures (height, weight, age), measures of psychological well-being (Self-Reporting Questionnaire [SRQ20]; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), and a range of information (including parental migration histories) on selected Indonesian and Filipino households. In-depth and semi-structured interviews are undertaken with selected child caregivers/responsible adults and index children to complement the structured surveys and the findings from the quantitative analyses. These interviews explore dimensions of family practice less amenable to standardized measurement, especially those related to emotional exchanges within the family, gender roles and children’s feelings about (and attachment to) their mothers/fathers/carers.

Anchored by an international research team with years of collaborative research experience, CHAMPSEA Wave 2 (conducted in Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand) is the first mixed-method longitudinal study on the health and well-being of left-behind children in the region. Its findings will contribute to the academic literature and help families, communities and government better understand the vulnerabilities and risks that must be weighed against any material benefits of parental migration. The team is currently gathering data in Indonesia and the Philippines for CHAMPSEA Wave 3. Fieldwork in these countries began in 2023 and is expected to conclude in 2024.

The project started in 2008.

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