Assignment:
Statement of the Problem
Despite the growing body of research examining psychological and relational strain and resilience associated with expatriate long-distance heterosexual marital separation, little is known about how spouses' perceived sense of choice versus constraint in the separation shapes emotional and relational outcomes (Hutchings, 2022). Existing studies tend to prioritize the presence or duration of separation without adequately accounting for the motivations and constraints that shape separation experiences, including structural and legal limitations, economic necessity, and family system responsibilities such as childcare and caregiving obligations (Karunarathne et al., 2025).
Emerging psychological research suggests that perceived choice, voluntariness, and the meanings individuals attach to separation play a critical role in how stress is appraised and how resilience is developed (Wurtz, 2022). This perspective aligns with transactional stress and coping frameworks applied in expatriate research (Wurtz, 2022). However, the consequences of separation may differ substantially depending on whether it is experienced as voluntary or externally imposed, a distinction that remains insufficiently examined in existing literature (Haak-Saheem et al., 2022; Karunarathne et al., 2025). Drawing on appraisal and meaning-making perspectives, whether separation is construed as a personal choice or a structural constraint is likely to shape coping responses and subsequent relational adjustment outcomes.
This analytical gap is particularly evident within Caribbean sociocultural contexts and is especially salient in Jamaica, where recent research highlights the continued underrepresentation of Jamaican expatriate families in studies of migration-related psychological, familial, and relational outcomes (Hutchings, 2022; Nwankwo & Govia, 2022). This limitation reflects a broader pattern in which nontraditional and underrepresented populations remain insufficiently examined, thereby constraining theoretical development and empirical generalizability (Hutchings, 2022).
Consequently, the limited empirical attention to perceived choice and constraint among Jamaican left-behind heterosexual spouses restricts the development of culturally responsive organizational policies, counseling interventions, and family support programs, and may contribute to the underestimation of the long-term psychological and relational consequences of expatriate employment arrangements (Haist & Kurth, 2022; Karunarathne et al., 2025). Thus, the problem addressed in this study concerns the limited understanding of how heterosexual spouses who remain in Jamaica while their partners work abroad perceive choice versus constraint in expatriate long-distance marital separation, and how these perceptions influence emotional distress and relationship functioning within Caribbean contexts.
Based on the Statement of the Problem above, suggest the Purpose of the Research including the following elements:
1. The purpose of the study must be in direct alignment with the problem and must establish how the study will be conducted. Need Assignment Help?
2. Suggest why qualitative, phenomenology and diary method fit together and the number of diary entries and duration.
3. Provide research questions based on qualitative research method
4. Suggest estimated number of participants for qualitative research method
5. Provide context to support the research questions.