Problem:
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the emotional, psychological, and relational lived experiences of Jamaican heterosexual spouses who remain behind during overseas employment-related marital separation, with particular attention to how spousal separation is perceived in terms of agency, choice, and constraint (Hutchings, 2022). Specifically, the study examines whether separation is experienced as voluntary, necessary, forced, or mixed, and how these appraisals shape coping processes, resilience, emotional distress, and relationship functioning within long-distance heterosexual marriages resulting from labor migration or expatriation.
In this study, emotional strain refers to chronic stress, loneliness, emotional disconnection, role strain, and relational uncertainty, while resilience refers to themes of protective factors such as perceived agency, meaning-making, communication quality, commitment, and culturally embedded narratives of endurance and familial obligation.
By shifting the focus from the duration or presence of spousal separation to the subjective meanings spouses assign to the separation itself, this study seeks to deepen understanding of how perceived choice versus constraint shapes well-being, coping, and marital dynamics among Caribbean expatriate families, particularly within the Jamaican context. The study further aims to generate culturally grounded knowledge that can inform mental health practice, organizational and expatriate support programs, and family-focused policies by illuminating the lived experiences, emotional challenges, and resilience strategies of Jamaican left-behind spouses.
Based the Purpose of the Study above, Provide the follwing details below. Provide recent peer-reviewed references between 2021-2025. Provide in-text citations within paragraphs for these references.
1. Since "heterosexual spouses" is an intentional scope decision for this research, suggest brief why this study should be limited to "heterosexual spouses" explaining why (whether cultural context, feasibility, or literature base). Need Assignment Help?
2. Suggest very briefly what is not known in Jamaica specifically regarding this research that will lock the gap to the setting.
3. Suggest briefly how diaries can be used for this research (frequency/duration) and how they'll be analysed in relation to interviews (e.g., triangulation, timeline meaning making, or corroboration of themes).
4. To strengthen methodological credibility, suggest the phenomenological tradition best suited for this research (e.g., descriptive/Moustakas, hermeneutic/van Manen, or IPA).
5. Suggest how the data could be analysed (coding approach, theme development, and how to handle reflexivity/bracketing).