Problem: Significance of the Study
This research contributes to understanding the experiences of Jamaican left-behind spouses by exploring how they make sense of prolonged migration-related marital separation, a phenomenon associated with psychological and relational challenges among spouses who remain in the home country (Koirala, 2023; Zheng & Yan, 2025). By centering participants' interpretations of prolonged marital separation, the study aims to provide culturally grounded insight into how emotional well-being, coping, marital functioning, and family adjustment are experienced and understood within Jamaican transnational marriages. The findings may enhance understanding of the experiences of Jamaican left-behind spouses among researchers, practitioners, and community stakeholders. Greater understanding of left-behind spouses' emotional and relational experiences may inform the development of communication, coping, emotional support, and marital resilience initiatives during prolonged separation.
The findings may benefit psychologists, counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, churches, community organizations, policymakers, and social service agencies by offering insight into the emotional and relational experiences of Jamaican left-behind spouses and informing culturally responsive approaches to support transnational families. The study contributes by applying IPA to examine how Jamaican left-behind spouses make sense of prolonged migration-related marital separation. The study may contribute to psychological theory by providing a deeper understanding of how appraisal processes and perceptions of autonomy are reflected in the lived experiences of spouses navigating prolonged migration related marital separation. The study extends existing qualitative literature by examining how Jamaican left behind spouses construct meaning around migration related marital separation, an area that has received limited phenomenological attention within Caribbean psychology research.
Limitations, Delimitations, and Assumptions of the Study
A limitation of this study is the use of a small purposive sample, consistent with interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), which emphasizes the in-depth analysis of lived experience rather than statistical generalizability (Smith et al., 2021). Because the study relies on self-reported interviews and reflective diary data, participants' accounts may be influenced by recall bias, retrospective reconstruction of experiences, and memory limitations (Høffding et al., 2022), as well as social desirability bias or selective disclosure regarding sensitive marital experiences (Bispo Júnior, 2022). IPA involves a reflexive, interpretative, and analytic process, hence, the researcher's perspectives and assumptions may shape the interpretation of participants' narratives, although reflexivity and audit procedures may enhance analytic transparency and rigor (Smith et al., 2021). Because the study focuses exclusively on Jamaican left behind spouses, the findings may not be transferable to spouses experiencing migration related separation within different cultural, social, or economic contexts.
The study is delimited to legally married Jamaican men and women residing in Jamaica whose spouses are employed overseas and who have experienced at least 12 months of continuous marital separation. Unmarried couples and individuals separated for reasons unrelated to labor migration are excluded. These criteria were established to ensure a shared experience of prolonged migration-related marital separation in the Jamaican sociocultural context.
An assumption of the study is that participants will provide honest and accurate accounts during interviews and reflective diary activities. It is further assumed that these methods will generate rich qualitative data suitable for phenomenological analysis. The study assumes that participants are capable of reflecting upon and articulating the meanings they associate with prolonged migration related marital separation. Need Assignment Help?
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