Health Status and Association With Interpersonal Relationships Among Chinese Children From Urban Migrant to Rural Left-Behind

Efficacy of cognitive behavioral group counseling in enhancing the psychological resilience and academic emotion of urban primary school students

This study explores the intricate relationship between psychological resilience and academic emotions in urban primary school students, highlighting the transformative effects of cognitive behavioral group counseling (CBGC) on enhancing resilience. Conducted in Huangshan City, Anhui Province, China, the research involved 575 students from five schools, utilizing questionnaires adapted from standard psychological instruments to assess their psychological resilience and academic emotions. Our findings reveal that robust psychological resilience significantly increases positive academic emotions (t = 0.374, 0.591, P < 0.01) and decreases negative ones (t= -0.541, -0.664, P < 0.01). Furthering our investigation, 36 students were selected and divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received a tailored CBGC program aimed at bolstering psychological resilience, while the control group engaged in after-school sports. The CBGC intervention, customized with culturally relevant content, age-appropriate language, and engaging activities, showed a significant post-intervention improvement in the experimental group's psychological resilience (t = 2.546, P < 0.05) and positive academic emotions (t = 2.546, 3.607, P < 0.01), alongside a notable reduction in negative emotions (t=-3.761,-2.038,P < 0.05).This study underscores the symbiotic relationship between psychological resilience and academic emotions among urban primary school students and demonstrates the efficacy of CBGC in fostering emotional balance and resilience. These insights have profound implications for educators and psychologists dedicated to nurturing a well-rounded and emotionally resilient student body.Trial Registration This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) on February 10, 2023, with registration number ChiCTR2300061594.

Urbanisation and mental health in left-behind children: systematic review and meta-analysis using resilience framework

BACKGROUND

Prolonged parental separation at young ages has significant adverse effects on development in left-behind-children (LBC). We aimed to compare mental health status, emotional and behavioural problems, and their association with socioemotional development between LBC and their counterparts.

METHODS

Cross-sectional studies comparing LBC and non-LBC published from 2000 onwards were searched. Primary outcomes included depression, anxiety emotional and behavioural problems. Secondary outcomes included loneliness, self-harm, suicide, and risk-related behaviours. Quality of all included articles was assessed by Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal. Data was analyzed by random model-based effect method.

RESULTS

78 observational studies comprising of 394,308 children aged 2-18 were included. Compared to NLBC, LBC had significantly more depression, anxiety, emotional and behavioural problems, conduct problems, self-harm, loneliness, peer bullying, attempts of smoking and alcohol consumption. Subgroup analyses found that younger LBC between the ages of 6 to 12 were at greater risks of poor mental health, emotional and behavioural problems.

CONCLUSION

Absent parental care prevents healthy socio-emotional development and hinder the formation of secure attachment. Poor social-emotional development leads to worse emotional resilience against psychological stressors, while LBC residing in rural areas also experience additional risk factors of low household income and poor access to mental health services.

IMPACT STATEMENT

Prolonged parental separation negatively influences mental health, especially in younger children between the ages 6 to 12. Poor social-emotional development in left-behind children is associated with worse emotional resilience against psychological stressors. Additional risk factors including residing in rural areas, low household income, and poor access to mental health services predisposes left-behind children to high risks of mental illness. Timely support services targeted towards strengthening resilience factor such as learning better emotional and behavioural coping strategies and improving school and peer support to address increased risk of mental health problems are required for current left-behind children.

Fostering resilience and post-traumatic growth in overseas Chinese left-behind children: The role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the impact of parental migration on the psychological well-being and development of left-behind children (LBCs) in Zhejiang, China, within the broader context of the country's rural transformations and urban migration. It investigates how intellectual and relational engagement (RE), autonomy (AUT), competence (COM), and relatedness (RES) contribute to resilience (REL) and post-traumatic growth (PTG) in these children, reflecting on the shift from viewing parental separation merely as a source of trauma to recognizing its potential to foster significant personal growth.

METHODS

Utilizing a cross-sectional design, the research was conducted in April and May 2023 with 1348 LBCs from a total sample of 4049 students inZhejiang. A two-step random, stratified, cluster-based sampling strategy was employed, and structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypothesized relationships among the constructs.

RESULTS

The statistical analysis demonstrated significant positive effects of intellectual engagement (IE), AUT, COM, and RE on both REL and PTG (p < .05 for all). IE strongly correlated with AUT (r = .68, p < .001) and COM (r = .71, p < .001), enhancing REL and facilitating PTG. Additionally, the presence of secure and consistent relationships was identified as crucial for maintaining psychological well-being, with high correlation coefficients (r > .60) underscoring their importance. Notably, REL was found to moderate the relationships among RES, COM, and PTG, highlighting its critical role in the psychological adaptation of left-behind children.

CONCLUSION

The study underscores the importance of nurturing intellectual and REs, AUT, and COM to enhance psychological REL and well-being among LBAs. These elements are crucial for supporting the mental health and developmental needs of children facing the challenges of parental migration. The findings advocate for targeted interventions that can address the unique needs of this vulnerable population, emphasizing the potential for growth and adaptation despite adversities.

Parental migration and cyberbullying victimization among Chinese left-behind children: understanding the association and mediating factors

Introduction

Parental absence is greatly associated with school bullying victimization of left-behind children (LBC) in migrant families. With the increasing popularity of the Internet, little is known about the association between parental migration and cyberbullying victimization, and potential mediators.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study in Anhui and Zhejiang Province, China, in 2020. With a sample of 792 currently left-behind children (CLBC), 541 previously left-behind children (PLBC), and 628 never left-behind children (NLBC), path analysis was used to explore the association between parental migration and cyberbullying victimization among children, while considering the independent and sequential mediating roles of parent-child communication, and time spent online.

Results

The prevalence of cyberbullying victimization was 29.3% among CLBC, 29.2% among PLBC, and 23.4% among NLBC. Path analysis showed that current left-behind status was positively associated with cyberbullying victimization among children (p = 0.024). Furthermore, current left-behind status was associated with worse parent-child communication, which, in turn, predicted a higher prevalence of cyberbullying victimization [95% CI = (0.007, 0.036)]. Similarly, the previous left-behind experience was associated with worse parent-child communication, which, in turn, predicted a higher prevalence of cyberbullying victimization [95% CI = (0.013, 0.043)]. Current left-behind status was associated with increased time spent online, which, in turn, predicted a higher prevalence of cyberbullying victimization [95% CI = (0.013, 0.038)]. Additionally, the current left-behind status positively predicted cyberbullying victimization among children through the serial mediating roles of parent-child communication and time spent online [95% CI = (0.001, 0.006)]. Similarly, previous left-behind experience positively predicted cyberbullying victimization among children through the serial mediating roles of parent-child communication and time spent online [95% CI = (0.002, 0.007)].

Discussion

We propose that to protect CLBC and PLBC from cyberbullying victimization, it is of great importance for migrant parents to regulate children's time spent online and promote daily parent-child communication.

Parent-Child Separation and Diurnal Cortisol Rhythms Among Left-Behind Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Sex

Prior research examining parent-child separation and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning has primarily focused on separation due to parental divorce or loss or forced migration. Less clear is the impact of parental economic migration on adolescents' HPA axis functioning. The present study fills this gap by examining diurnal cortisol patterns among left-behind adolescents who experienced separation from their migrant parents. Participants were 293 Chinese adolescents (33.4% girls, 66.21% left-behind adolescents; M_age = 10.80 years old, SD = 0.82 years). Two-level multilevel modeling was conducted to examine the associations between parent-child separation experiences and diurnal cortisol patterns. Although no significant differences were found between left-behind adolescents and their non-left-behind peers, results revealed that left-behind adolescents who experienced parent-child separation at earlier ages had more blunted diurnal cortisol slopes (usually signaling poorer mental and physical health), compared to their counterparts who experienced separation at older ages. Left-behind adolescent girls who had more adverse separation experiences exhibited smaller waking cortisol and blunted diurnal slopes; these findings were not observed among left-behind adolescent boys. Observing the association between timing of parent-child separation and adolescents' diurnal cortisol and the moderating effects of child sex, this study contributes uniquely to the developmental science of left-behind adolescents' physiological health.

Educational Inequity and Skill Formation Differences Experienced by Floating Rural Students in the Process of Urbanization: A Case Study from a School Perspective

In the process of urbanization in China, the migrant worker population entering cities is an important force in building cities. The children of these migrant workers who do not have the qualifications to participate in college entrance examinations in the city generally become floating rural students. The education problem of the children of the migrant worker population entering the city is still insufficiently considered, and the education inequality and skill formation defects faced by floating rural students are worth paying attention to. This study selected P Middle School in Daxing District of Beijing as a case and took “input–process–output” as the thread to investigate and analyze the school’s source of students and enrollment situation, survival strategy and student graduation destination. It tried to present the original ecology of the school’s survival situation from the micro level and further interpret the education inequality and skill formation of floating rural students from the perspective of the school’s survival. Through the case study, we have found that the academic achievement of students in privately run schools for migrant workers’ children is not high. The level of teachers in these schools is low, and teacher turnover is high, resulting in a significant gap in the quality of education compared to public schools. The main source of funding for these schools is donations from members of the community, and government funding is inadequate. Floating rural students in privately run schools for migrant workers’ children have poor graduation destinations, with a low percentage of students going on to key high schools, and some students are forced to become returning children, facing institutional barriers to upward mobility through education. These aspects have led to education inequality and possible defects in the skill formation of floating rural students. We hope to clarify and grasp the actual situation of privately run schools for migrant workers’ children and put forward corresponding policy recommendations to help bridge the educational inequity in China.

The Impact of Parental Migration on Multidimensional Health of Children in Rural China: The Moderating Effect of Mobile Phone Addiction

Improving physical, mental and cognitive health is a strategic choice to help developing countries cross the middle-income trap. This paper used data from the 2019 China Rural Children Health and Nutrition Survey (n = 826), and used the Ordered Probit (Oprobit), Logit and ordinary least squares (OLS) analytical methods to systematically analyze the implications of parental migration on multidimensional health. The results indicate that parental migration significantly harms the physical and mental health of rural children, and that mobile phone addiction has a significant moderating effect. Moreover, parental migration has a greater impact on the physical health, mental health and cognitive ability of boys and rural children with low family income, while parents with higher nutrition knowledge and education can effectively improve the physical health and cognitive ability of their children. In conclusion, in order to improve the multidimensional health of rural children, the government should strengthen the policy of care and support for children whose parents migrate. Schools and families should pay attention to the supervision of rural children's mobile phone addiction.

Factors influencing patients' opt-in intention of exchanging health information

Introduction

Health information exchange (HIE) exhibits tremendous benefits in improving the quality of healthcare and reducing healthcare costs. However, it also poses challenges related to data security, data privacy, patient engagement, etc.

Objective

This study aimed to explore the factors affecting patients' opt-in intention to HIE by using an empirical study based on the theory of planned behavior.

Methods

A Web-based survey was conducted involving 501 valid participants in China (69% validity rate).

Results

Information sensitivity and perceived HIE transparency affected the patients' opt-in intention to HIE through the mediation of perceived behavior control and trust in HIE. Information sensitivity negatively influenced perceived behavior control (-0.551, P < 0.001) and trust in HIE (-0.489, P < 0.001). Perceived transparency of HIE positively influenced perceived behavior control (0.396, P < 0.001) and trust in HIE (0.471, P < 0.001). Moreover, patients' opt-in intention to HIE can be positively affected by perceived HIE transparency (0.195, P < 0.001) and trust in HIE (0.294, P < 0.001). In addition, the moderating effect of health status was positive and significant between trust in HIE and opt-in intention to HIE but not between the perceived behavior control and opt-in intention to HIE.

Conclusion

This study contributes to the theory of planned behavior and enriches the literature on HIE efforts. HIE administrators should design personalized health services on the basis of these different health statuses to successfully achieve patients' opt-in intention to HIE.