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Kinship Support in Jamaican Families in the USA and Jamaica

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Abstract

This study compares the provision and receipt of kin support for Jamaican immigrants in the US and Jamaican nationals residing in Jamaica. Two datasets are utilized for the study. US data is from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) which contains the first national probability sample of Caribbean immigrants in the USA. Data for Jamaican nationals comes from the Family Connections across Generations and Nations, a dataset associated with the NSAL. Findings indicate that both Jamaican immigrants and Jamaican nationals provide and receive substantial support from family members. Age and parental and marital status impact the amount of support given and received. In particular, there is a significant interaction between parental status, age, and receiving support that is consistent for both Jamaican immigrants in the US and Jamaican nationals. Findings are discussed in relation to previous research in this field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Michigan, Dearborn, MI, USA

    Ivy Forsythe-Brown

  2. School of Social Work and Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Robert Joseph Taylor

  3. School of Public Health, School of Social Work and Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Linda M. Chatters

  4. Epidemiology Research Unit, Caribbean Institute for Health Research, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica

    Ishtar O. Govia

  5. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Ishtar O. Govia

  6. Department of Surgery, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Niki Matusko

  7. Institute for Social Research and Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    James S. Jackson

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  1. Ivy Forsythe-Brown
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  2. Robert Joseph Taylor
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  3. Linda M. Chatters
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  4. Ishtar O. Govia
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  5. Niki Matusko
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  6. James S. Jackson
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Correspondence to Robert Joseph Taylor.

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Forsythe-Brown, I., Taylor, R.J., Chatters, L.M. et al. Kinship Support in Jamaican Families in the USA and Jamaica. J Afr Am St 21, 187–202 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-017-9355-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-017-9355-7

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