Skip to content
Siempre Ahí – Always There
ENES

Findings

Why This Study?

SeparationSupportReunificationHealing
I didn’t have a job and it got to a point where I practically wanted to take my own life. I had a lot of debt, and I couldn’t, knowing that my children were very young and I wasn’t able to help them for three years. There were days when I had something to eat, and days when I didn’t eat at all.

No tenía trabajo y llegó a un punto donde prácticamente quise quitarme la vida. Tenía muchas deudas y no podía, sabiendo que mis hijos eran muy chiquitos y no, poderles ayudar por tres años. Había días que tenía para comer, días que no comía.

For millions of immigrant families around the world, family separation and reunification are defining life experiences. While research has substantially advanced our understanding of how these experiences affect children and family relationships, much less is known about the emotional lives of the parents who make the difficult decision to migrate, endure prolonged separation from their children, and later navigate the complex process of reunification.

Coinciding with the growth of migration from Central America in the last two decades, this study centers the voices of Central American immigrant parents and explores how immigration-related family separation and reunification shape their emotional well-being and sense of self. Rather than viewing parents solely through the lens of caregiving, this study recognizes them as individuals whose own psychological experiences matter—not only for the well-being of their children and families, but also for their own well-being. Centering parents' experiences is essential for developing interventions, services, and policies that more effectively support them.

Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the study reveals that separation and reunification are not isolated events but an ongoing emotional journey characterized by profound psychological pain, resilience, relational repair, and continued healing. It also introduces two conceptual contributions to the literature: Fortalezas de Vida (Life-Giving Strengths) and the Siempre Ahí (Always There) Model, a psychosocial framework illustrating how immigrant parents remain emotionally present throughout the stages of migration.

Citation: Information on this website is drawn from my doctoral dissertation. You can download it here.

APA citation of my dissertation:

Aguilar, C. (2025). What About the Parents? Exploring the Impact of Immigration Separation and Reunification on the Well-Being and Sense of Self of Central American Parents: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study (Doctoral dissertation). Smith College School for Social Work.

Read the dissertation

Scroll through findings below

Findings in Images

The Study at a Glance

Group themes

Themes Summary

  1. 1

    Theme 1

    Separation Breaks You

    Parents described separation as an emotionally devastating experience. During the separation period, parents experienced severe psychological destabilization accompanied by embodied expressions of distress. Separation disrupted not only their emotional well-being but also their parental identity and sense of self. Many described profound grief, depression, anxiety, loneliness, traumatic stress, and, for some, severe despair that included suicidal thoughts. Across parents' narratives, separation emerged as a profound psychological and relational rupture marked by the tension between overwhelming despair and the enduring motivation to survive for the sake of their children.

  2. 2

    Theme 2

    Reunification Is Not Straightforward Joy

    Although reunification represented parents' greatest hope, it was rarely experienced as a simple happy ending. Parents moved through fear, anxiety, enthusiasm, relief, gratitude, and the ongoing work of rebuilding trust and family relationships. For many, reunification restored a sense of hope and aliveness while also marking the beginning of a new stage of healing.

  3. 3

    Theme 3

    Being Seen & Supported Eases Separation Weight

    Healing was deeply shaped by relationships. Parents described family, friends, community organizations, sponsors, coworkers, neighbors, and spirituality as sources of strength throughout migration, separation, and reunification. Feeling understood, supported, and accompanied eased emotional suffering and helped parents regain hope during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

  4. 4

    Theme 4

    Recovering is a Reciprocal Effort

    Despite physical separation, parents remained deeply engaged in their children's lives. Through daily phone calls, video conversations, guidance, emotional availability, shared routines, and creative problem-solving, they continued parenting across borders. These intentional efforts helped preserve connection, support their children's emotional well-being, and sustain parents' own identity as caregivers.

  5. 5

    Theme 5

    Emotional Struggle Does Not End with Reunification

    The emotional effects of separation did not disappear once families were reunited. Parents described ongoing fears of future separation, heightened sensitivity to everyday absences, and the continued work of rebuilding relationships and family life. Reunification restored physical closeness but did not erase the emotional impact of separation.

Reflection

Which theme resonated with you the most?

Take a moment and write it down for yourself — nothing is saved here.