Repercussions of the Cross-Border Migration Process on Family Life: Systematic Review with Meta-Synthesis
Abstract
Highlights
Public health relevance—How does this work relate to a public health issue?
- Examines how cross-border migration reshapes family functioning, mental health, and social well-being—core components of population health.
- Highlights the structural vulnerabilities experienced by migrant families, including poverty, isolation, and limited access to essential services.
Public health significance—Why is this work of significance to public health?
- Provides synthesized evidence on how migration-related stressors contribute to psychological distress, family conflict, and risk behaviors among migrants.
- Offers critical insights into the social determinants of health that disproportionately affect migrant families across diverse global contexts.
Public health implications—What are the key implications or messages for practitioners, policy makers and/or researchers in public health?
- Emphasizes the need for culturally sensitive health, social, and community interventions to support migrant family adaptation and mental well-being.
- Informs policy development aimed at reducing social vulnerability, improving service accessibility, and strengthening protective family and community networks.
Abstract
The experiences and repercussions of the cross-border migration process on family life have not yet been synthesized. This study aimed to synthesize the best available qualitative findings on this theme. A systematic review of qualitative evidence with meta-synthesis was conducted. Articles were identified according to predefined extraction criteria in the first half of 2025, across seven databases: Web of Science, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, LILACS, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and Social Science Citation Index. Two researchers independently screened and appraised the reports, assessing methodological quality and systematically recording and analyzing relevant information. A protocol was registered in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42024505655). Fifty studies were included, and three main themes emerged: (a) living in multiple possible contexts, where space and relationships influence family functionality, including reduced family time due to long working hours, substance use, fear of losing cultural roots, new financial responsibilities, and the desire to return to the country of origin; (b) challenges and repercussions on family life after migration, such as increased family conflicts, mental health problems, separation, and loss of ties; (c) strategies for maintaining family functioning, including role adjustment, strengthening of family ties, and support through cultural and religious practices. Families undergoing migration face multiple challenges in their new environments, revealing the complexity of adapting to diverse cultural and social contexts. These findings highlight the need to address the emotional and social demands of migrant families to improve well-being and integration. Understanding these dynamics allows healthcare professionals to design culturally sensitive interventions that promote reception and inclusion.
1. Introduction
Recent statistics indicate that there are approximately 281 million international migrants worldwide, making up about 3.6% of the global population [1]. This phenomenon is driven by a diverse combination of factors, including global consumerism, advancements in transportation, armed conflicts, political repression, economic underdevelopment, violence, poverty, food insecurity, and climate disasters [2]. Additionally, the transformative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic shaped migration patterns [1]. Mobility also reflects the search for better living conditions and safety, driving individuals and families to cross borders to find new opportunities for progress [3,4].
Migration has a significant impact on the social, economic, educational, and health spheres in the host country, as well as personal and family life [5].
Although the reasons for migration are often linked to suffering and the need to seek protection, migrants also grapple with grief from losing their homes and severing ties with their social and family networks [6]. In this context, they may face challenges on their mental health and family dynamics, as adapting to a new reality is not always easy [7].
These difficulties are exacerbated by the challenges and conflicts experienced in the country of origin, and the absence of significant family members left behind. Thus, distancing oneself from the family of origin or the family one has formed can aggravate suffering. Furthermore, the families who remain behind, now missing one of their members, also encounter challenges. Therefore, both migrants and their families may also encounter challenges that require community support and attention from health and social care professionals to identify and implement effective coping strategies [7,8].
In addition, it is important to consider that when families migrate together, they must adapt to new experiences in a challenging environment. This necessity makes cultural adaptations indispensable for individuals and family systems in the destination country. Migration involves not only geographical relocation but also a process of redefining roles and relationships in a new setting, as well as navigating different cultures and worldviews, which can alter family dynamics [8].
Studies conducted in various countries, such as Peru [9], the Netherlands [10], Australia [11], and Italy [12], have deepened our understanding of the complex life and health situations faced by migrants and refugees during continuous adaptation processes, particularly from an individual perspective. Furthermore, in recent years, the experiences of international migrants and their families have been explored through qualitative research [13,14,15,16], leading to the production of knowledge that needs to be synthesized to further deepen understanding of this phenomenon. It is essential to comprehend the experiences of migrants and their families in order to promote new forms of transnational communication among family members, support family adaptation, identify strategies to facilitate reunification, understand their rights, and ultimately foster family integration into the host society [3]. Moreover, developing this understanding can contribute to formulating public and social policies that encourage the restructuring of family systems, improve adaptability to change, and mitigate the biopsychosocial risks encountered by migrant individuals and families.
In light of the above, this review aims to synthesize the best available qualitative findings about the experiences and repercussions of the cross-border migration process on family life.
2. Materials and Methods
This study is a systematic review that adopted the JBI meta-synthesis methodology [17]. Additionally, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) instrument [18] (Supplementary Materials File S1) was used for the writing and detailing of the study. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42024505655) and published in a peer-reviewed journal in the field [19].
The review question was: What are the repercussions of the cross-border migration process on family life? The study was conducted using the PICo strategy (Population; Phenomenon of Interest and Context).
Population
Qualitative studies that involved people and families affected by the cross-border migration process and its repercussions were included. Participants comprised both voluntary migrants those seeking better socio-economic and educational opportunities and involuntary migrants who were forced to be displaced due to environmental, racial, economic, social, political, religious, or cultural factors.
Phenomena of interest
Studies that have examined the repercussions of the cross-border migration process on families may include family studies conducted with a single family member or those involving at least two members of the same family.
Context
Research conducted worldwide has documented the experiences of individuals who have migrated beyond their country’s borders in various contexts. This includes studies focusing on those who migrated alone, in family dyads, or as a part of a collective.
2.1. Types of Studies
Studies published between 2009 and 2024 were included, as this has seen a rise in publications addressing the migration process worldwide. The goal was to ensure the review of the most recent literature on the topic. Additionally, only full-text articles published in Portuguese, English, and Spanish were considered, as the researchers are fluent in these three languages and the available resources prevented them from commissioning full translations of articles in other languages.
Only studies that presented qualitative data on the experiences of people and families affected by the cross-border migration process were analyzed. This included, but was not limited to, approaches such as phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, action research, and descriptive studies using content, discourse, or thematic analysis. Finally, it should be noted that only studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals were considered, along with unpublished sources and grey literature such as dissertations and theses.
2.2. Search Strategy
The search was conducted between March and May 2025. A preliminary search was performed in the PubMed database to identify relevant articles related to the topic and to validate the initial search strategy. A librarian was consulted to promote rigor in the process. A total of seven databases were used: Web of Science, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE-PubMed); PsycINFO (American Psychological Association), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), SCOPUS, and Social Science Citation Index. However, no articles were found in the last database. The search strategy, including all identified keywords, was adapted for each database according to its specific characteristics.
It should be noted that, following the precepts of the JBI guidelines, the same descriptors were used to search for five sources of unpublished and grey literature, including Index to Theses, Digital Dissertations, CAPES Bank of Dissertations and Theses, Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, and the New York Academy of Medicine Grey Literature Report. However, no material addressing the review question was identified. Details of the search strategy are provided in the Supplementary Materials (Supplementary Materials Table S1).
2.3. Selection of Studies
After the search, all the studies were analyzed in terms of title and abstract, with duplicates removed at this stage. Two team members reviewed the titles and abstracts independently, applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Any discrepancies in the selection process were resolved through discussion with a senior researcher in the group, to reach a consensus.
2.4. Evaluation of Methodological Quality
The eligible studies were manually assessed for methodological quality by two independent reviewers using the Critical Appraisal Checklist for Interpretive and Critical Research (QARI) [13]. Following this initial assessment, the article documents and the checklist were entered into an Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform, ChatGPT® (version 4.0, OpenAI, San Francisco, CA, USA), with a request for analysis using the following command: “I request analysis of the article using the QARI instrument also attached.” Complete compatibility was observed between the analyses conducted by the researchers and those generated by the AI. However, caution is recommended when using this tool for the same purpose, and its use should be explicitly reported in future studies to enable verification of the compatibility between researchers’ analyses and those produced by AI.
In the quality assessment, articles that did not achieve 70% or more positive responses in the instrument were excluded, which happened in two cases.
2.5. Data Extraction and Synthesis
This stage of analyses took place between June and July 2025. Two reviewers independently read and reviewed the articles to systematically extract and record data. They used the Qualitative Data Extraction Instrument, developed by the JBI, which contained the following information: title, authors, year of publication, journal, methodology, data analysis techniques, setting, geographical and cultural context, participants, interventions, main results, and conclusions of both the authors and reviewers. After data extracting, the results were synthesized, representing an aggregation of the primary data. It is noteworthy that all included studies presented the necessary elements for data extraction; in other words, no missing data hindered the completion of the review.
Following the JBI guidelines, the findings were categorized into sub-themes based on descriptive and conceptual similarity, which were then aggregated into broader, more comprehensive themes. To enhance the rigor of the aggregative synthesis process, any differences were discussed by the group until a consensus was reached. Examining the similarities and differences in the perspectives of various social actors who experienced the phenomenon under investigation, sub-themes, and themes were integrated rather than compared. This led to the identification of the meta-theme “Tending between change and maintenance: the search for family functionality in the face of the cross-border migration process”.
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Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12940735/
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