DOING’ FAMILY ACROSS DISTANCE: TRANSNATIONAL TIES AND MENTAL HEALTH AMONG FILIPINA DOMESTIC WORKERS

Abstract

Research on the mental health of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) in Singapore are dominated by narratives surrounding occupational stressors. There are no studies in Singapore that shed light on the relationship between transnational familial ties and mental well-being. Taking into account the transnational identity of FDWs, their mental well-being is inextricably tied to their family in Philippines, which can generate independent effects from work-related relations. Hence, this study seeks to explore the relationship between social support and social strain within transnational familial care relations, and its influence on mental health outcomes of FDWs. Interviews were conducted with Filipina domestic workers to understand the care exchanges within their families, and their mental health was assessed using Mental Health Index-5 (MHI-5). My main findings suggest that social support as manifested in satisfied care exchanges contribute to postive mental well-being of FDWs whereas social strain and emotional loneliness inherent in unsatisfied care relations lead to poor mental well-being. The data also suggests that the broader context of Philippines interacts with transnational familial care exchanges to influence the mental state of FDWs.