Profiles and Transitions of Loneliness and Depressive Symptoms among Migrant Children: Predictive Role of Bullying Victimization

Meaning in life for migrant children in China: A latent profile analysis based on risks and resources

BACKGROUND

Meaning in life (MIL) can help safeguard the mental health of migrant children. However, most current studies employ variable-centered methodologies and frequently overlook population heterogeneity; they also fail to address how the combination of different risks and resources influences MIL.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the group heterogeneity of migrant children according to combinations of risks and resources and how the interaction of these factors affects their MIL.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Participants included a sample of 567 children of migrants.

METHODS

Participants completed questionnaires enquiring about risk factors (academic pressure, perceived discrimination, and parent-child alienation) and resource factors (parent-child communication, parent-child trust, perceived social support, and resilience). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify different groups according to the combinations of these risks and resources; we then identified the differences in MIL among these groups.

RESULTS

Four groups were identified: low-resource group (26 %), high-risk/low-endogenous-resource group (8 %), balanced group (43 %), and low-risk/high-resource group (23 %). MIL was highest among the low-risk/high-resource group and lowest among the low-resource group. The high-risk/low-endogenous-resource and balanced groups were in the middle.

CONCLUSIONS

Risks and resources associated with migrant children are combined in different ways; LPA revealed clear categorization trends. There were significant differences in MIL among the four categories we identified. Attention should be paid to increasing resources for migrant children, as these may have a stronger impact on their MIL than risks.

Latent profiles and transition of child maltreatment and peer victimization among Chinese internal migrant children: Associations with their psychological maladjustment

Internal migrant children often face dual challenges from both child maltreatment and peer victimization, yet the impact of various profiles of these experiences, along with their developmental transitions, on psychological maladjustment over time remains unclear. To fill these gaps, this study employed latent profile analysis and latent transition analysis to explore the associations between patterns of child maltreatment and peer victimization and psychological maladjustment (including loneliness, depressive symptoms, behavioral problems, and non-suicidal self-injury) and to determine whether changes in these patterns over time predict future psychological maladjustment. The participants comprised 544 Chinese internal migrant children (51.1% male, Mage = 11.75, SD = 1.12) who completed two surveys. At both Time 1 and Time 2, four distinct profiles were identified. The doubly disadvantaged profile was linked to increased loneliness, while no significant differences were observed among the four profiles regarding the other three indicators. Five transitioning profiles were identified: Stable both low profile, fluctuation profile, stable risk profile, exacerbation profile, and mitigation profile. Internal migrant children in distinct transitioning profiles showed different levels of psychological maladjustment. The findings underscore the co-occurring and transitional nature of child maltreatment and peer victimization, emphasizing the necessity for robust family and school support systems to foster optimal mental health for internal migrant children.

Declining Time-Trend in Loneliness Levels Among Migrant Children in Urban China, 2006-2019: A Cross-Temporal Meta-Analysis of 40 Studies Published From 2006 to 2022

Loneliness has long been a significant psychosocial problem for migrant children in urban China. In recent years, social changes and enhancements in social welfare equity have lessened the disadvantages faced by these migrant children. The current study investigated the time-trend of loneliness levels among migrant children from 2006 to 2019. A literature search was performed within major Chinese- and English-language databases, and studies that reported the means and standard deviations of Children's Loneliness Scale (CLS) scores among Chinese migrant children were included in this cross-temporal meta-analysis. Weighted linear regression was conducted to examine the trend of mean CLS scores over the survey year, and Cohen's d value was calculated to assess the magnitude of change. In total, 40 cross-sectional studies conducted between 2006 and 2019 (published by 2022), consisting of 47 cohorts of migrant children and a total sample size of 17,090, were included. Overall, there was a significant downward trend between the survey year and mean CLS score (unstandardized coefficient [β] = -0.342, P  < 0.001), and Cohen's d value of this decline from 2006 to 2019 was 0.411. Similar declining time-trends were also observed among subgroups when broken down by sex, school type, and geographic regions (β = -0.182 to -0.589, P  < 0.001, d = 0.222-0.719). The loneliness levels of migrant children in urban China decreased from 2006 to 2019. Nevertheless, sustained measures and inclusive policies are still needed to mitigate the loneliness levels of Chinese migrant children.

Does Grit Compensate for Family Background Disadvantage in Predicting Mental Health Difficulties? A Longitudinal Study of Chinese Migrant and Urban Children

The significant population of Chinese rural-to-urban migrant children has sparked considerable domestic and international concern regarding their disadvantaged family circumstances and their escalating prevalence of internalizing and externalizing problems. Derived from the resource substitution hypothesis, non-cognitive factors such as personality traits may act as "substitution" resources for educational outcomes of children from less privileged families. Yet, the compensatory role of personality traits as substitution resources in children's mental health has received limited attention, including that of migrant children. This study examined the interplay of trait-like grit and family SES on emotional and conduct problems among Chinese migrant and urban children. The current sample consisted of 770 migrant children (Mage = 10.45 and SDage = 0.68 years; 38.4% girls) and their 222 urban counterparts (Mage = 10.34 and SDage = 0.46 years; 45.5% girls). Moderated polynomial regressions with response surface analysis on a two-wave data with an interval of over six months showed that grit served as a "substitution" resource for the less socioeconomically advantaged children. The compensatory effect of perseverance of effort on urban children's emotional problems and that of consistency of interest on migrant children's conduct problems were visualized. Moreover, the two compensatory effects were found to be robust and unique, even after children's effortful control, a grit-related construct, was taken into account. These findings not only support the resource substitution hypothesis, but also underscore the protective role that grit plays in children under less privileged environments.

Elevated levels of loneliness in migrant children compared to nonmigrant children in urban China: a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

About one in four children in China is a migrant child. This population has a higher risk of experiencing loneliness. However, existing studies present conflicting findings regarding the levels of loneliness among migrant children as compared to local urban children in urban China. This review performs a meta-analysis of studies comparing loneliness levels between these two groups.

RECENT FINDINGS

A literature search of major Chinese- and English-language databases revealed 27 eligible comparative studies. These studies reported the means and standardized deviations of loneliness scores for both migrant and nonmigrant children in urban China. Meta-analysis results showed that migrant children experienced significantly higher levels of loneliness than their urban nonmigrant counterparts [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.21, P  < 0.001]. Subgroup analysis revealed that studies enrolling migrant children from migrant children's schools had significantly higher pooled SMDs than those enrolling children from public schools (0.346 vs. 0.120, P  = 0.047).

SUMMARY

Migrant children in urban China experience higher levels of loneliness compared to their local urban peers. Efforts to create a socially inclusive, migrant-friendly environment and reduce social isolation among migrant children are crucial to help alleviate their feelings of loneliness.