To assess and compare the mental health of current-left-behind children, previous-left-behind children with never-left-behind children

Psychological impacts of maternal migration on left-behind children: a cross-cultural review

In the pursuit of a brighter future for their children, many female migrant workers leave their home countries to seek employment abroad, often as caregivers for families in wealthier nations. This decision necessitates prolonged separation from their own children, depriving them of the opportunity to witness and participate in crucial stages of their children's development. The absence of these mothers, combined with inconsistent caregiving in their stead, significantly increases the vulnerability of left-behind children to mental health challenges, such as depression, anxiety, and difficulties in forming emotional bonds with others. Moreover, even after the migrant mother's eventual return, the disruptions in attachment often result in long-term consequences, including strained and distant relationships with their children. This article explores the complex impact of maternal migration on the mental well-being of left-behind children across various cultural contexts. It highlights key findings, such as the role of communal caregiving practices in mitigating adverse effects in some societies, while noting that these practices are not a complete solution. The study underscores the need for culturally sensitive mental health interventions and policy measures to support the well-being of children affected by maternal migration globally.

Association of the previous experience of maternal migration absence with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in their school-aged children: a cross-sectional study in Anhui, China

BACKGROUND

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) emerged as an escalating health concern in youths worldwide, particularly in the vulnerable. In China, a burgeoning internal migration in human history has been tearing families apart, generating a surging number of left-behind children (LBC) with a lack of parental supervision. Despite the empirical acknowledgment of parental migration as a risk predictor of the NSSI among LBC, there remains a lack of understanding of the specific role of the maternal migration experience.

OBJECTIVE

This study sought to determine the association of maternal migration experience and its characteristics in terms of age at initiation and length with 12-month NSSI among school-aged children.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Data were collected by a self-administrated questionnaire survey conducted among a school-based sample of students in the Anhui province, China.

METHODS

A total of 2476 participants were analyzed, and the Chi-squared tests and binary logistic regression analysis were employed.

RESULTS

Compared with children whose father is currently migrating and the mother never migrated for work (FM-MN), children whose father never migrated but the mother previously migrated for work (FN-MP, OR = 2.21, 95% CI [1.27-3.84], p < 0.01) and children whose father is currently migrating and the mother previously migrated for work (FM-MP, OR = 1.46, 95% CI [1.00-2.13], p < 0.05) evidenced greater odds of the prevalence of 12-month NSSI. And also, a significantly higher risk for 12-month NSSI was found among FN-MP and FM-MP compared with children whose parents lived in the household and neither had ever migrated for work (FN-MN). For those children with maternal migration experience, while controlling for the paternal migration characteristics, there was no difference between before and after school age at initiation of migration in the risk of NSSI, nor were there any differences across 1-3, 4-6, and more than 6 years of maternal migration length CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggested the potential long-term effect of the experience of maternal migration on children and provided implications for the early identification and prevention of school-aged children at risk for NSSI, particularly within the maternal migrant family context.

Associations between left-behind children's characteristics and psychological symptoms: a cross-sectional study from China

BACKGROUND

Parent-child separation poses a significant challenge for left-behind children (LBC). However, limited empirical evidence exists regarding the correlation between left-behind characteristics and the psychological symptoms of LBC. This study investigated psychological symptoms among LBC and explored associations between left-behind characteristics and those symptoms.

METHODS

Using stratified cluster sampling, 1,832 LBC aged 13-18 years from three cities in East China were selected for analysis. Participants' depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 and the General Anxiety Disorder 7, respectively. Chi-square tests were used to compare differences in detection rates of psychological symptoms among LBC in different groups. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to infer associations between left-behind characteristics and psychological symptoms.

RESULTS

Depression and anxiety symptoms were detected in 32.86% and 33.24%, respectively, of participating LBC. Univariate analysis showed statistically significant differences in detection rates of depression symptoms by sex, grade, and timing of parent-child separation. Statistically significant differences were observed in anxiety symptom rates by sex, grade, type of caregiver, and timing of mother-child separation. Multivariate analysis indicated a positive association between LBC's anxiety symptoms and mother-child separation that occurred during post-primary school, and type of caregiver (father only or mother only). Our findings confirm a positive association between left-behind characteristics and anxiety symptoms among LBC.

CONCLUSION

The timing of mother-child separation and type of caregiver are potential risk factors for the development of anxiety symptoms in this population.

Adverse childhood experiences and deviant peer affiliation among Chinese delinquent adolescents: the role of relative deprivation and age

Background

Deviant peer affiliation is considered a potential risk factor for adolescent delinquency. Due to the serious situation of adolescent delinquency in China, it is necessary to investigate the mechanisms by which adolescents associate with deviant peers.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and deviant peer affiliation, the mediating effect of relative deprivation, and the moderating effect of age in a sample of Chinese delinquent adolescents.

Methods

Five hundred and forty-two Special School students aged 11-18 years were interviewed and completed questionnaires, including demographics, adverse childhood experiences, deviant peer affiliation, and relative deprivation.

Results

(1) After controlling for gender, adverse childhood experiences and deviant peer affiliation were significantly and positively associated among delinquent adolescents. (2) The effect of ACEs on deviant peer affiliation was mediated by relative deprivation. (3) Age played a moderating role not only in the relationship between ACEs and relative deprivation, but also in the indirect relationship in which ACEs influence deviant peer affiliation through relative deprivation; specifically, the indirect effect of ACEs influencing deviant peer affiliation through relative deprivation was stronger in early adolescence compared with late adolescence.

Conclusion

Overall, early ACEs play an important role in deviant peer affiliation among delinquent adolescents and relative deprivation is an important mediating variable. The results of the present study emphasize the importance of cognitive interventions for delinquent adolescents who experience ACEs in early adolescence, which may be instructive for the prevention of adolescent delinquency.

Parental and Adolescents' Anxiety during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Rural China: The role of Parent-child Communication

Purpose

It has been suggested that the intergenerational transmission of anxiety may be an important contributor to the high prevalence of anxiety in adolescents. The objectives of this study are to examine whether and how parental anxiety is related to adolescent's anxiety and to explore the associations of parental anxiety and parent-child communication with adolescents' anxiety across different grades.

Methods

The current survey was conducted online from February 8th to February 27th, 2020.The questionnaires were distributed and retrieved through a web-based platform. A total of 6196 Chinese rural adolescents from grade seven to twelve (age ranging from 11 to 18 years old) were included.

Results

In this study, parental anxiety was significantly associated with higher adolescent anxiety (β = 0.14, p < 0.001) and this association was statically strongest at grade twelve. Besides, children with problematic parent-child communication related to COVID-19 reported elevated anxiety (β = 0.05, p < 0.01). In contrast, effective parent-child communication about COVID-19 mitigated the level of anxiety transmitted from parent to child (β = -0.04, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

During the COVID-19 epidemic, parents' anxiety was related to adolescents' anxiety. In addition, parent-child communication plays a moderating role in the above relationship. These findings emphasize the importance of implementing more psycho-education programs that specifically target parents' emotion regulation and effective communication abilities to ameliorate the psychopathological symptoms of parents and their children.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40653-023-00609-y.

Comparison of the Mental Health Status of Left-Behind Children Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose

To investigate and discuss the mental health status of left-behind children in Anhui Province before and after the COVID-19 pandemic and analyze its influencing factors.

Methods

A total of 82 left-behind children studying in grades 4 to 6 in Anhui Province, China were investigated by using the Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) and Self-Esteem Scale (SES). Differences in the mental health status, perceived social support, and self-esteem of left-behind children before and after the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed using the independent sample t-test. The relationship between mental health, perceived social support, and self-esteem before and after the pandemic was determined using the Pearson product-moment correlation test, and the factors influencing mental health before and after the pandemic were identified using regression analysis.

Results

The SCL-90 scores of left-behind children during and after the pandemic were 134.45 ± 23.17 and 114.52 ± 22.56, respectively, indicating that the SCL-90 score during the pandemic was significantly higher than that after the pandemic. The perceived social support scores of left-behind children during and after the pandemic were 58.99 ± 12.45 and 65.57 ± 11.76, respectively, indicating that the score during the pandemic was significantly lower than that after the pandemic. The self-esteem scores of left-behind children during and after the pandemic were 25.04 ± 4.95 and 28.39 ± 3.84, respectively, indicating that the score during the pandemic was significantly lower than that after the pandemic. The SCL-90 scores before and after the pandemic were significantly negatively correlated with perceived social support and self-esteem. The regression analysis results showed that self-esteem and perceived social support together could explain 25% of variations in the SCL-90 score during the pandemic and 34% of variations in the SCL-90 score after the pandemic.

Conclusion

The mental health level, perceived social support, and self-esteem of left-behind children improved after the pandemic compared with those during the pandemic. Good perceived social support and self-esteem can effectively promote the mental health of left-behind children.

Mediating roles of perceived social support and sense of security in the relationship between negative life events and life satisfaction among left-behind children: A cross-sectional study

Objective

Life satisfaction is closely related to the quality of life. Previous studies showed that left-behind children have low life satisfaction levels due to their separation from their parents. Therefore, it is significant to explore the risk factors and protective factors of left-behind children's life satisfaction to improve their life quality. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the mediating roles of perceived social support and sense of security in the relationship between negative life events and life satisfaction among left-behind children.

Methods

A survey was conducted on 281 left-behind children in rural Shandong, China using negative life events, perceived social support, a sense of security, and life satisfaction scales.

Results

Negative life events had a negative impact on life satisfaction (β = -0.34, p = 0.001). In addition, not only does social support mediate between negative life events and life satisfaction (β = -0.21, p = 0.001), but also in between, security (β = -0.05, p = 0.030). Moreover, social support and security act as a chain intermediary between negative life events and life satisfaction (β = -0.03, p = 0.010), with an indirect effect share of 4.76%.

Conclusion

Negative life events could directly or indirectly affect the life satisfaction of left-behind children through the chain-mediating effects of perceived social support or the sense of security alone. Perceived social support and the sense of security are two important targets for further improving the life satisfaction of LBC.