Problem:
Prolonged marital separation resulting from labor migration may create emotional strain, loneliness, increased household responsibilities, and relational challenges for spouses who remain in Jamaica while their partners work abroad, reflecting broader psychological and social consequences for families affected by migration-related separation (Kofman et al., 2022; Thomas-Brown, 2023). However, research examining how spouses interpret and cognitively appraise migration-related separation remains limited. In the Caribbean, migration generates substantial remittances that support household livelihoods and national economic stability. In several countries, remittances account for more than 20% of gross domestic product (GDP). In Jamaica, remittances represented approximately 24% of GDP in 2021 (World Bank, 2022a, p. 42). At the household level, remittances provide an important financial safety net that helps families meet basic needs during periods of economic hardship (World Bank, 2022b; Harris et al., 2025). Consequently, migration-related income has become a common strategy for household economic survival. However, the migration arrangements that generate these economic benefits often involve prolonged marital separation, which may contribute to relational strain among spouses. Although financial resources may meet material needs, they cannot replace emotional support, companionship, shared decision-making, or everyday relational interaction. Consequently, prolonged marital separation has been associated with increased depressive symptoms and negative health outcomes among left-behind spouses, disrupting family and social functioning (Nwankwo & Govia, 2022; Luz et al., 2026).
Provide a very brief closing statement that could be used at the end of the above paragraph to synthetize the content with how spouses interpret and cognitively appraise migration-related separation in the context of Jamaica and the limited research on the subject of how spouses interpret and cognitively appraise migration related separation. Provide recent peer-reviewed references between 2021-2025. Need Assignment Help?