Abstract
Objective: To investigate the prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems and related factors of left-behind children in impoverished rural China (mainly in the first grade of junior high school). Methods: A cross-sectional survey of rural households in 27 poverty-stricken counties in 12 provinces across China was conducted using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: The prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems in left-behind children was 11.7%, and that of non-left-behind children was 8.9%. There was statistical difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). There are no differences between the two groups in terms of the various factors of SDQ. The incidence of insomnia in the left-behind group was 58.3%, which was higher than that in the non-left-behind group 50.9% (P < 0.01); loneliness (62.1% vs. 51.8%, P < 0.01); running away from home (23.1% vs. 18.8%, P < 0.01), and self-injury behavior (16.8% vs. 12.2%, P < 0.01). Left-behind children are more likely to have negative psychological feelings including insomnia, loneliness, self-injury, and run away from home. They also experienced more bullying including maliciously teased by peers, intentionally excluded or isolated, physically threatened or intimidated. All of these factors are associated with their abnormal emotional and behavioural development. Conclusion: The incidence of emotional and behavioral problems of left-behind children in rural areas in poverty-stricken areas is significantly higher than that of non-left-behind children; Logistic regression analysis showed that bullying behavior and abnormal psychological characteristics are significantly associated with left-behind adolescents abnormal emotional and behavioral development.
Highlights
Left-behind children (LBC) refer to children below 16 years old living in rural areas whose parents go out to work, or where one of the parents does not have the guardianship and cannot live together with their children for more than 12 months
The incidence of emotional and behavioral problems of left-behind children in rural areas in poverty-stricken areas is significantly higher than that of non-left-behind children; Logistic regression analysis showed that bullying behavior and abnormal psychological characteristics are significantly associated with left-behind adolescents abnormal emotional and behavioral development
According to the definition of rural LBC issued by the Chinese government in 2016 [1], there are a total of 9.02 million rural left-behind children
Summary
Left-behind children (LBC) refer to children below 16 years old living in rural areas whose parents go out to work, or where one of the parents does not have the guardianship and cannot live together with their children for more than 12 months. A Chinese study showed the factors that increase the risk of emotional and behavioral problems include poor family relationships, negative life events, learning stress, and living in poor rural areas. Another survey from Indonesia demonstrated that poor socioeconomic conditions and family environment increase the risk of emotional behavioral problems [5]. Social-ecological resilience framework emphasizes that the healthy emotional and behavioral development are the outcomes of the interaction among proximal and distal support systems including caregivers, families, peers, community and broad environment. Higher than those of Non-LBC because of the unstable parenting, poor family, peer and school environment, and negative psychological characteristics
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