NIMHANS study finds loneliness linked to psychological distress, excessive series watching among parents of emigrated children

Loneliness among parents whose adult children have migrated abroad is associated with higher psychological distress, difficulties in regulating emotions and problematic series watching, an exploratory study by researchers from NIMHANS has found.

The findings assume relevance on World Mental Health Day, observed on October 10, which draws attention to mental health and the need to address psychological well-being. The study highlights the emotional challenges that parents may experience when their children settle abroad and everyday family interactions become less frequent.

64 ‘empty-nest’ parents

Published in BMC Research Notes, the study examined 64 ‘empty-nest’ parents aged between 45 and 65, whose adult children had emigrated and lived away from home for at least two years. The sample comprised 30 fathers and 34 mothers from different families in Karnataka, Haryana and Punjab. Most belonged to middle socioeconomic backgrounds and nuclear families, and more than half had been in the empty-nest phase for over five years.

Rajesh Kumar, associate professor in the department of clinical psychology at NIMHANS and the corresponding author of the study, said the findings highlighted the relationship between loneliness and emotional well-being among parents adjusting to life without their children at home.

“We found a significant association between loneliness and psychological distress. Loneliness was also associated with difficulties in emotion regulation and problematic series watching, which refers to excessive or difficult-to-control viewing that interferes with everyday functioning. This also resulted in the risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs),” he said.

Loneliness significantly predicted psychological distress even after accounting for age and gender. Of the 64 participants, 22 (34.3%) were classified as having higher levels of loneliness, while 42 (65.7%) fell into the lower-loneliness group. Those reporting higher loneliness also reported greater psychological distress, more difficulties in regulating emotions and higher levels of problematic series watching, Mr. Kumar said.

Social changes

Manoj Kumar Sharma, professor in the department of clinical psychology at NIMHANS and head of its SHUT Clinic, said the findings needed to be understood in the context of the emotional and social changes that parents may experience when their children settle abroad.

Dr. Sharma, who is one of the authors, cautioned that the study did not establish that loneliness causes psychological distress or excessive series watching. As it was cross-sectional, it could identify associations but not determine the direction of the relationships, he said.

Mothers reported greater loneliness

Women in the study reported significantly higher levels of loneliness and psychological distress than men.

The researchers said that this was consistent with earlier research suggesting that mothers may experience greater emotional difficulties during the empty-nest phase, potentially reflecting their involvement in caregiving and emotional relationships with their children.

Possible coping mechanism

The researchers said digital media and streaming services could provide an easily accessible form of solitary leisure for parents experiencing less day-to-day interaction with their children.

However, the study did not examine why participants watched series or whether they used viewing deliberately to cope with loneliness or negative emotions. The researchers cautioned against assuming that excessive viewing was necessarily a coping response.

Other factors that could influence media use include social support, physical mobility, retirement, living arrangements, marital relationships, the frequency and quality of communication with adult children, and access to technology.

Social and psychological support

The findings underline the need to pay greater attention to the emotional well-being of parents whose children migrate abroad, as changing family structures and international migration can reduce opportunities for regular face-to-face interaction, Dr. Sharma said.

The authors said interventions to strengthen social connectedness, promote adaptive emotion-regulation strategies and encourage healthier technology use could potentially help parents navigate the empty-nest transition.