Depression among Migrant and Left-Behind Children in China in Relation to the Quality of Parent-Child and Teacher-Child Relationships.

Chun Ran,Juan Hu,Xiaohua Wang,Zhiyong Qu,Jing Guo,Qianyun Zhou,Xuezhu Ren,Xia Wang,Jacobus van Wouwe

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0145606

Chun Ran, Juan Hu + Show 7 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0145606

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine rates of depression among migrant children (MC) and left-behind children (LBC) as compared to non-left-behind children (NLBC) and also to examine the relationship between depression among these children and the quality of their parent-child and teacher-child relationships. This study collected data from a large sample of 3,759 children aged from 8 to 17 years, including 824 who had been left behind by one parent (LBCO), 423 who had been left behind by both parents (LBCB), 568 MC and 1944 NLBC. Children’s Depression Inventory–Short Form was used to measure child depression. Parent-Child Relationship Scale (PCRS) and Teacher-Child Relationship Scale (TCRS) were used to measure the quality of parent-child and teacher-child relationships, respectively. The results showed that the prevalence of depression was 10.5% among NLBC, 13.1% among LBCO, 16.1% among LBCB, and 20.1% among MC. Depression was related to parent-child relationship quality and teacher-child relationship quality. Negative parent-child relationship was more relevant to depression than negative teacher-child relationship among LBCB, while negative teacher-child relationship was the most correlated with depression among MC.

Highlights

In China, left-behind children (LBC) are defined as “children under 18 who have been left behind at their original residence while one or both parents migrate into other places for work, and have been not living together with them for at least six months”[1]
Using cross-sectional data on a large sample of Chinese children, we firstly examined whether Migrant children (MC), LBC, and Non-left-behind rural children (NLBC) differed with regard to depression
The results indicate that MC and LBCB are at higher overall risk for depression than the other groups

Summary

Introduction

In China, left-behind children (LBC) are defined as “children under 18 who have been left behind at their original residence while one or both parents migrate into other places for work, and have been not living together with them for at least six months”[1]. Migrant children (MC) are defined as “children under 18 who have left their original residence and migrated to a big city at least six months ago”[2]. Non-left-behind rural children (NLBC) are “children under 18 who live with both parents at their original residence”. Depression of Migrant Children and Left-Behind Children recent years, in the number of migrant workers who have moved from rural areas to cities or factory enclaves for better work opportunities, the numbers of MC and LBC have been growing fast in China. The current study focused on depression among migrant and left-behind children and on the relationship between child depression and the quality of teacher-child and parent-child relationships

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