A review was led by Child Family Community Australia research fellow Elly Robinson, which looked at the problems faced by FIFO workers.

It found families with FIFO arrangements were just as likely to be as healthy and well-functioning as mining families with a daily commute.

Robinson said the ability for families to cope with the pressure depended on a number of factors unique to their situation, including workplace culture, rosters and recruitment practices.

Home environments and the wider community also played a role.

“Most families have tended to cope with the lifestyle but it does not suit everyone. Children may experience negative emotions as the result of the FIFO parent’s absence,” she said.

“They may have increased behaviour problems, particularly boys, greater experiences of bullying at school and increased pressure to succeed academically.

“Parenting is a challenge for FIFO families, particularly for partners at home who have to manage the continual transitioning from solo parenting to co-parenting and back again, while providing for the physical, emotional and intellectual needs of children, without the support of a partner always at home.”

The review found employees benefitted from contingency plans that allowed them to get home quickly in an emergency, and might be reluctant to seek support for lifestyle pressures, despite the availability of employee assistance programs.

It also found applicants for FIFO positions often lacked an understanding of how the lifestyle would impact themselves and their families, but regular and private communication between workers and families was vital.

The review also found the standard of worksite accommodation varied greatly, with concerns over privacy, noise, sleeping conditions, and rules and regulations topping the list.

Return-to-home and depart-to-work times were found to be periods of high stress, with partners at home facing difficulties including loneliness, and managing childcare and flexible employment.

While children generally coped well, high maternal stress indicated mothers might play a significant buffer role for the family disruption.

Robinson said the biggest family challenge found in the review was managing the frequent transition from a single to dual-parent household.

“The research indicates that the coming and going created confusion about who makes decisions and which role each partner plays, and can lead to conflict,” she said.

She said families who coped well had an at-home partner who was more self-reliant, supportive, had access to family support, good education options and child care.

The review found unmarried couples or families with teenage children fared best in the FIFO arrangement.