Background

Living within an international community comes with life-enhancing opportunities, values, and skills. However, regular international relocations can pose unique challenges for families moving with children. The need to constantly re-adjust to a new country and culture, while living apart from family and friends, and the lack of support can cause stress for the parents. This may, in turn, have an impact on their children through different processes within the family system.

Aims and Design of the study

This study aims to investigate the relationship between stress experienced by parents during regular international relocations and their child´s well-being and sociocultural adjustment. Specifically, we aim to examine how this relationship is influenced by several factors such as parent’s well-being, family relationships, resilience, self-care behaviors, and personality traits.

How to participate

We are seeking English-speaking parents with:

• at least one child between 7 and 17 years of age.
• an international relocation rhythm of 2-6 years due to employment of one or both parents.

To participate you will need to answer an anonymized online survey which takes about 15 minutes. There are no known risks associated with this research study. However, the survey questions may trigger some unpleasant feelings. As a token of appreciation upon completion of the survey, you will receive information on how to manage international relocations for sojourning families.

Your participation in this research study is voluntary. You can withdraw from the study at any time without any negative consequences by closing the webpage of the online survey. If you decide to participate in this research study, please send us an email to receive the link to the survey. If you would like to receive more information, please click here for a more detailed study description. The study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Psychology.

Study team

Our study team consists of highly qualified international and mobile psychologists who fully understand the unique challenges and constraints that international expatriates and their families face during regular relocations.

Contact

homeabroad@clutterunibas.ch

Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 62, 4055 Basel