Research on the Relationship Between Perceived Social Support and Subjective Well Being of Left Behind Children

In this study, “perceived social support scale (SPSS)”, “happiness” and “emotional index scale: positive emotion, negative emotion and emotional balance” as the measurement tool of left-behind children understand the relationship between social support and subjective well-being were studied. The results showed that: (a) left-behind children and non left-behind children perceived social support have significant differences, which left the perceived social support level of children is significantly lower than the non left-behind children; (b) left-behind children and non left-behind children in emotional well-being, life satisfaction index, there is a significant difference, performance for the left-behind children in happiness and emotion index, life satisfaction scores were significantly lower than those of non left-behind children; (c) left behind children between perceived social support and subjective well-being are positively related. In particular, friends and family support the greatest impact on happiness. Through the regression analysis, the results showed that friends and family support had a significant predictive effect on the well-being of left behind children

Educational aspirations and expectations of adolescents in rural China: Determinants, mental health and academic outcomes

Educational aspirations and expectations of adolescents have implications for educational and psychological outcomes. This study aimed to determine factors associated with educational aspiration–expectation discrepancies and to examine the associations between the discrepancies and psychological and academic outcomes in rural left-behind children and non-left-behind children aged 14–16 in mainland China. Cross-sectional data from a self-report survey were collected in 2020 among 606 rural students (mean age = 14.85 years) in two public middle schools in Songzi county, Hubei Province. Participants filled in questionnaires measuring their socio-demographic infor-mation, educational aspirations and expectations, academic performance, parental and friends’ as-pirations, academic self-perception, academic self-regulation, depression, and self-esteem. Results showed that more than half of the participants reported that they felt they were not likely to attain the level of education to which they aspired. Parental migration, academic performance, mother’s educational aspirations for children, and close friends’ educational aspirations were the main factors associated with students’ educational aspiration–expectation discrepancies. Both left-behind children and non-left-behind children whose aspirations exceed expectations were more likely to report lower self-esteem, higher depression, lower academic self-perception, and poorer self-regu-lation than those without a discrepancy. These findings have implications for families, schools, and policymakers through informing the development of interventions that target positive development in rural youth

Social Cognitive Domain Coordination in Left-Behind Children: A Comparative Study of Left-Behind and Non-Left-Behind Children in Rural China

Forty-seven left-behind children (LB) and 40 non-left-behind children (NL) in rural China were interviewed to evaluate moral, conventional, and personal violations by providing judgments and justifications. The results suggested that both LBs and NLs differentiate the rules of moral, conventional and personal domains. However, there are some differences: 1. The NL considered it acceptable to commit a personal infraction when there was no rue prohibiting it, while the LB considered it wrong; 2. The younger male LBs were more willing to accept situations without moral psychological rules, compared with younger female LBs, older male LBs, and younger male NLs. Age, sex differences were also found. The one out of our expectation is that younger males considered it more acceptable to commit a personal infraction than older males did and believed it all right if there was no explicit rule on it. Meanwhile, in providing reasons to support their judgments or evaluations, the findings revealed that: 1. More often LBs referred to social conventional reasoning even when evaluating moral and personal rules and violations, especially on personal issues; 2. LBs used more justifications of punishment and fewer justifications of personal growth. The implications of the results of the study for children’s moral development and education, especially for LBs, are discussed

Parent–Child Cohesion, Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction, and Emotional Adaptation in Left-Behind Children in China: An Indirect Effects Model

This study aimed to validate an indirect effects model of parent–child cohesion in emotional adaptation (i.e., loneliness and depression) via basic psychological needs satisfaction in Chinese left-behind children as well as the applicability of the model to both genders. A cross-sectional study was conducted and included 1,250 children aged between 9 and 12 years (635 left-behind children and 615 non-left-behind children) from rural primary schools. The results showed that: (1) relative to non-left-behind children, left-behind children exhibited significantly higher loneliness and depression scores and greater disadvantages involving father–child cohesion, mother–child cohesion, and psychological needs satisfaction. (2) Father– and mother–child cohesion were significantly negatively correlated with loneliness and depression and significantly positively correlated with psychological needs satisfaction in left-behind children. (3) Through structural equation modeling showed that psychological needs satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between parent–child cohesion and emotional outcomes in left-behind children. (4) Through multi-group analyses showed significant gender differences in structural weighting between parent–child cohesion and emotional adaptation, in that parent–child cohesion in left-behind boys was a stronger negative predictor of unfavorable emotional outcomes relative to that observed in left-behind girls, while psychological needs satisfaction in left-behind girls was a stronger negative predictor of unfavorable emotional outcomes relative to that observed in left-behind boys. The implications of these findings for interventions directed at Chinese left-behind children were discussed

The Association of Parent-Child Communication With Internet Addiction in Left-Behind Children in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Internet addiction has emerged as a growing concern worldwide. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of Internet addiction between left-behind children (LBC) and non-left-behind children (non-LBC), and explore the role of paternal and maternal parent-child communication on LBC. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in rural areas in Anhui, China. The complete data were available from 699 LBC and 740 non-LBC. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine 1) whether LBC were more likely to develop Internet addiction, and 2) the association between parent-child communication and Internet addiction among LBC. Results: LBC had a higher likelihood to report Internet addiction when compared to non-LBC (OR = 2.03, 95%CI = 1.43–2.88, p \u3c 0.001). Among LBC, parent-child communication (both mother-child and father-child) was protective factor for children’s Internet addiction. The role of mother-child communication played well among male LBC. Conclusions: The lack of parental supervision may lead to Internet addiction. It is highly recommended for migrant parents to improve the quality of communication with their children. Also, gender-matching effects should be considered in the relationship between children’s behavior and parental factors

Child feeding and stunting prevalence in left-behind children: a descriptive analysis of data from a central and western Chinese population

Objectives: To examine the effect of parental rural-to-urban internal migration on nutritional status of left-behind children and how this is related to guardianship. Methods: We used UNICEF China’s maternal and child health survey data to investigate stunting prevalence and feeding practices in children left behind by rural-to-urban internal migrant parents. We also assessed the effects of primary guardianship which is related closely with parental migration. Results: Of 6,136 children aged 0-3 years, over one third was left behind by one or both parents. About 13% were left behind by mothers, leaving guardianship primarily to grandmothers. Left-behind status was not associated with stunting, yet children who were cared for primarily by their fathers had a 32% increase of stunting compared to children cared for by the mothers (adjusted odds ratio[aOR]=1.32;95% confidence interval=1.04-1.67). Children with migrant mothers were less likely to receive age-appropriate breastfeeding (aOR=0.04;0.02-0.10) and a minimum acceptable diet (aOR=0.56;0.39-0.79) compared with non-left-behind children. Conclusions: Guardian’s feeding behaviours varied, and was inappropriate for both children affected and not affected by parent’s rural-to-urban internal migration. Community-based infant and young child feeding counselling and support should be provided to all caregivers

Rural - Urban Differentiation, Migration and Emerging Educational Inequalities.A case Study of Left-behind Children in Ganqiu Village, Yunnan

Abstract After China's policy of reform and opening up to the outside world was carried out in the late 1970s, millions of farmers are flocking to China's cities, seeking work with a hope of improving the living standard of their families in rural home villages. In Ganqiu village, over the past decade, many rural elderly, women and children have been separated from the family's breadwinner as sons, husbands and fathers head to the cities in search of an off-farm income. The rise of internal migration (also known as floating population liu dong ren kou') in China has greatly stimulated researchers' interest in studying trends and the characteristics of this population and its role in the China's economic transformations. Recent estimates suggest that as many as 58 million children are left behind in migrant-sending regions while their parents are away working. China's household registration (hukou) system makes it very difficult for parents to bring their children to cities. The absence of working parents brings both short-term and long-term consequences for children left behind. The impact of the rural-urban migration on children of migrants is of interest to both academics and policy makers, not only because they affect current social stability both in the countryside and in cities, more importantly because these children are the future of the economic and social performance of China. Generally speaking, large-scale migration of people from rural to urban areas has caused a range of consequences: a)it changes the demographic composition of local rural communities; b)it changes the balance between workers and consumers in rural households; c)it changes the importance of off-farm income (remittances) to rural households; d)it changes consumption preferences in rural communities; f)it changes people's knowledge and understanding of their position in the wider world; g)it affects the way household development cycle have impact on left-behind children. This paper focuses on the impact of migration on the education of left behind children. I shall try to address this issue by comparing the educational performance of children in families where at least one parent migrate with children who stay with parents in the rural home area. The issue of the impact of absent parents on children's education is a considered an important policy issue in China today. Given the enormous size of and variation within the Chinese population, I assume that there will also be variations in this impact and in the conditions that affect this variation. I shall try to explore this impact by a particular case study from Ganqiu village in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan province, and I don't assume that my findings are generally representative of the situation in the country as whole. However, some conditions such as hukou system, national economic policy, and the structure of the educational system are quite similar. Other conditions like local economic development, parents' social-economic positions, guardians' educational situation, etc may vary substantially. I shall try to explore of China-wide and particular local conditions are intertwined with each other to generate consequence on the left-behind children in Ganqiu. This may stimulate further research to explore how variations in local conditions impact education of left behind children.SANT355MASV-SAD

A Review of the Phenomenon of Left-behind Children in China from the Perspective of Historicism with Discussion and Analysis of the Relevant Research Literature

The rapid industrialization and uneven regional development of China over the past few decades have forced a large number of young and middle-aged people in rural areas and small towns to leave their hometown and undertake burdensome manual jobs in urban areas. Many of them have become parents. The long separation with their children contributes to the widespread Chinese left-behind children phenomenon. This review article explains further the Chinese left-behind child phenomenon, identifies and discusses the relevant research literature, and analyzes research approaches and findings with attention to the concept of ‘historicism’ (attributing meaningful significance to elements of space and time). Arguably, it would provide a clear picture and guidelines such as research status, gaps, and depicts for underlying researchers

Self-Injury Among Left-Behind Adolescents in Rural China: The Role of Parental Migration and Parent–Child Attachment

Previous studies have indicated that self-injury is a maladaptive coping strategy with a high prevalence among left-behind adolescents in rural China. However, few studies have been conducted on the factors influencing left-behind adolescents’ self-injury. The current study explored the roles of parental migration and parent–child attachment on self-injury. In total, 1110 adolescents were selected from four rural middle schools in Hunan province. Data on demographic and left-behind characteristics were collected and the Adolescent Self-Harm Scale and Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment were administered. The results indicated that compared with non-left-behind children and children with one parent migrating, there was a higher prevalence of self-injury among children with two parents migrating. Those with lower levels of parent–child attachment had a higher prevalence of self-injury than those with higher levels of parent–child attachment. There were also significant differences in terms of frequency, severity, and overall level of self-injurious behavior by patterns of parental migration and levels of parent–child attachment. Thus, parental migration, parent–child attachment, and the interaction between parental migration and mother–child attachment can predict adolescents’ self-injury