Astronaut Families: A review of their characteristics, impact on families and implications for practice in New Zealand

The astronaut family represents an arrangement found in migrant Asian house holds in New Zealand. These families are characterised by the head of the h ousehold living and working in the country of origin while the remaining fa mily members reside in the host country (New Zealand). Such arrangements im pact on family members and on family and martial relationships, with member s often reporting loneliness and social isolation. The aim of this review i s to introduce the concept of the astronaut family, present the psychologic al impact of the astronaut arrangement on each family member, and to outlin e some implications of the findings of this review for psychological practi ce.