Transnational Family Relations, Health, and Well-being (TransWell)

Family can be both a resource and a source of strain for people's psychological and economic well-being throughout their lives. It provides material support and social care, but it also involves responsibilities, expectations, and sometimes conflict. When family members are separated by national borders, these dynamics can take on new forms and significantly shape their well-being.

International research suggests that the relationship between geographical distance, family life, and well-being is highly complex. It depends on factors such as which family members live apart (e.g. partners, parents and minor children, or adult children with parents in need of care), the possibilities for maintaining contact (e.g. distance and visa regulations), how care and support can be organised across borders, and the socioeconomic, health, and security conditions in both countries. Public family support systems also influence the well-being of family members.

Previous DeZIM studies show that transnational family constellations have become increasingly common in Germany. Nevertheless, their relationship with psychological and economic well-being has received little attention. This represents an important research gap, but also a policy gap, particularly in the areas of family policy, long-term care, and skilled migration, where cross-border family relationships are rarely considered.

From a methodological perspective, quantitative studies that include different migrant groups as well as people without a migration background and simultaneously capture a broad range of well-being indicators have been lacking. Research on transnational families in Germany has so far been predominantly qualitative and focused on specific groups, while quantitative family surveys have largely concentrated on families living within Germany.

The project aims to improve our understanding of how transnational family relationships affect the psychological and economic well-being of people living in Germany. Against the backdrop of Germany's increasing migration-related diversity, it also seeks to raise awareness that cross-border family relationships have become an integral part of family life in Germany. At the same time, these family constellations create specific needs—for example, balancing employment and caregiving—that may still be insufficiently recognised by policymakers and society.

The project investigates the research questions through quantitative data analyses. It draws on data from the DeZIM.panel, which included survey modules on transnational family relationships in 2021 and 2023, and from the German Family Demography Panel (FReDA), into which the project successfully integrated a survey module on transnational family relationships through a competitive application process.

FReDA is a collaborative project of the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, and the University of Cologne. Since 2021, it has regularly surveyed a representative sample of people aged 18–49 on family-related topics. The survey modules in both panel studies collect information on, among other things, relatives' countries of residence, support provided and received, psychological and economic well-being, and related issues.

The analyses focus on people in Germany who support relatives living abroad. Data from the 2022/23 FReDA survey show that transnational care has become part of everyday family life for many respondents. Emotional support—such as listening or providing comfort—is the most common form of support, particularly for parents living abroad. Respondents also provide organisational assistance, for example by gathering information, while children living abroad are comparatively often supported financially or materially.

At the same time, transnational care is reciprocal. Many respondents themselves receive emotional or financial support from relatives abroad, particularly within intergenerational relationships.

Previous research has shown that family caregiving can become emotionally burdensome when people feel unable to meet their responsibilities. Analyses based on the DeZIM.panel indicate that transnational family constellations do not automatically lead to stronger feelings of guilt. Rather, higher levels of guilt occur primarily when parents live in countries where family care plays a greater role because public care services are less developed. Across all contexts, women report higher levels of guilt than men, regardless of whether care is provided within one country or across national borders.

Practical Relevance

The findings demonstrate that relatives living abroad are of considerable emotional and social importance for many people in Germany. Nevertheless, family policy debates and support measures continue to focus primarily on families living within Germany, while transnational family relationships receive comparatively little attention.

Greater recognition of cross-border caregiving could improve equal access to family and care support systems. It could also strengthen Germany's attractiveness for international skilled workers, as the ability to reconcile employment with transnational family responsibilities is an important factor in deciding whether to move to Germany and remain there permanently.