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<p>With rapid urbanization and persistent agrarian distress in rural areas, millions of people in India are migrating from rural to urban areas in search of work, primarily in the informal sector. While adult children’s migration for work can improve household income through remittances, it may also disrupt traditional caregiving structures and emotional support for elderly parents left behind. This study examines how adult children’s migration for work shapes the material living satisfaction and psychological well-being of left-behind elderly parents in the Middle Ganga Plain (MGP) – one of the most out-migration-prone regions in India. Using cross-sectional data from 1,080 elderly aged 60 + years, the study employed Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and negative binomial regression models, along with alternative specifications, to analyse the associations. Regression results showed that left-behind elderly parents had a significantly higher satisfaction with material living conditions (β = 0.33, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05) than their non-left-behind counterparts. It is possible that an economic benefit associated with migration could be used to improve material living conditions. Moreover, left-behind parents were less likely to report emotional distress (β = −0.20, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) compared to non-left-behind parents. Perceived economic security and household improvements associated with migration may partially explain this finding. However, frequent visits to parents were positively associated with emotional distress (β = 0.04, <i>p</i> = 0.005) among left-behind parents, perhaps due to heightened parental anxiety during visits driven by health or family crises. Findings highlight that economic and symbolic gains from migration may offset the psychosocial costs of separation in the resource-poor rural context of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.</p>

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Adult Children’s Migration and Well-being of Left-Behind Elderly Parents in an Out-Migration-Prone Region of India

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月26日

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  • Pintu Paul

摘要

With rapid urbanization and persistent agrarian distress in rural areas, millions of people in India are migrating from rural to urban areas in search of work, primarily in the informal sector. While adult children’s migration for work can improve household income through remittances, it may also disrupt traditional caregiving structures and emotional support for elderly parents left behind. This study examines how adult children’s migration for work shapes the material living satisfaction and psychological well-being of left-behind elderly parents in the Middle Ganga Plain (MGP) – one of the most out-migration-prone regions in India. Using cross-sectional data from 1,080 elderly aged 60 + years, the study employed Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and negative binomial regression models, along with alternative specifications, to analyse the associations. Regression results showed that left-behind elderly parents had a significantly higher satisfaction with material living conditions (β = 0.33, p < 0.05) than their non-left-behind counterparts. It is possible that an economic benefit associated with migration could be used to improve material living conditions. Moreover, left-behind parents were less likely to report emotional distress (β = −0.20, p < 0.001) compared to non-left-behind parents. Perceived economic security and household improvements associated with migration may partially explain this finding. However, frequent visits to parents were positively associated with emotional distress (β = 0.04, p = 0.005) among left-behind parents, perhaps due to heightened parental anxiety during visits driven by health or family crises. Findings highlight that economic and symbolic gains from migration may offset the psychosocial costs of separation in the resource-poor rural context of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.