The JGM BitBlog: Packing Resilience, Not Just Luggage
Emma Marchal Jones, University of Basel, Faculty of Psychology, Basel, Switzerland
Marnie Olivia Reed, University of Basel, Faculty of Psychology, Basel, Switzerland
Andrea Meyer, University of Basel, Faculty of Psychology, Basel, Switzerland
Jens Gaab, University of Basel, Faculty of Psychology, Basel, Switzerland
Yoon Phaik Ooi, University of Basel, Faculty of Psychology, Basel, Switzerland
Third culture kids (TCKs) grow up on the move, crossing borders because of their parents' careers in business, academia, diplomacy, or NGOs. This lifestyle is often described as enriching, and it is. And it also comes with unique pressures: saying goodbye to friends, entering schools where you don't know anyone, adjusting to unfamiliar rules and expectations.
In our study of 126 TCKs aged 7–17 in Switzerland, we asked how these children managed the psychological load of relocation. They told us about stress-feeling overwhelmed, under pressure, or unable to cope. They shared how they thought about themselves, whether they felt lonely or "different." And they reported on how they managed emotions: did they try to look at things in a new way, or did they keep feelings bottled up?
The results highlight two key truths. First, stress weighs heavily. Kids who felt more overwhelmed by their circumstances reported lower life satisfaction. Second, the way children regulate emotions matters. Those who practiced cognitive reappraisal-looking at challenges in a new and more positive light-were more likely to thrive. For example, a move framed as an opportunity to explore, rather than only a loss of friends, was linked to higher well-being. In contrast, suppressing emotions was not effective.
Resilience also played an important role. Children who could draw on supportive networks and problem-solving strengths were less likely to develop emotional or behavioral difficulties, even when stress was high. And negative self-talk ("I don't fit in here") tended to make things harder.
So what's the lesson for families, schools, and communities? Stressful transitions are unavoidable. And we can do something about how children meet them. Preventive efforts that teach reappraisal, encourage open conversations about feelings, and create spaces for belonging can make a lasting difference.
Global mobility will always involve goodbyes and hellos. And when children carry resilience and healthy ways of managing emotions alongside their luggage, those moves become not just survivable, but deeply growth-giving.
To read the full article, please see:
Emma Marchal Jones, Marnie Olivia Reed, Andrea Meyer, Jens Gaab, Yoon Phaik Ooi; Mapping psychological adjustment in third culture kids: the relative contributions of emotion regulation, cognition, resilience and stress. Journal of Global Mobility 16 June 2025; 13 (2): 270–291. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGM-03-2024-0018
------------------------------
Professor Jan Selmer, Ph.D.
Founding Editor-in-Chief
Journal of Global Mobility (JGM)
Department of Management, Aarhus University
E-mail:
selmer@mgmt.au.dkTwitter: @JanSelmer_JGM
------------------------------