Abstract
Background: Left-behind children (LBC) are becoming a widespread phenomenon and face higher risks of psychological and educational problems. Our study aimed to explore school bullying in LBC and examine the effectiveness of art therapy intervention for reducing bullying victimization affecting LBC in rural areas.Methods: A total of 603 children, including 272 LBC and 331 non-LBC, were sampled from 6 rural schools. Questionnaires regarding school life satisfaction, children's social anxiety, self-esteem, and school bullying were used to assess the psychological and school behavior status of these children. One Hundred and Eighty LBC who were victims of school bullying were then selected and randomly assigned to 3 groups to evaluate the effects of art therapy intervention. The interventions of art therapy and general counseling were conducted in 6 sessions over 3 months.Results: Our results demonstrated LBC experienced more bullying victimization than non-LBC. Left-behind boys were more likely to be bullied than left-behind girls. LBC > 12 years old, LBC whose parents are divorced, separated, or widowed, were more vulnerable to being bullied. School bullying of LBC was affected by social anxiety scores and school life satisfaction. The bullying victimization of LBC in the art therapy group was significantly improved.Conclusions: LBC suffered more school bullying than did non-LBC. Art therapy can effectively help LBC in rural primary schools to reduce their vulnerability to bullying.
Highlights
In China, children in rural areas who experienced separation from one or both of their parents for more than 6 months are defined as left-behind children (LBC) [1]
We investigated the association between school social satisfaction, social anxiety, self-esteem, and bullying victimization using logistic regression analysis
LBC showed higher school life satisfaction (p < 0.01) and lower levels of self-esteem (p < 0.05); LBC suffered more bullying victimization than did non-LBC (p < 0.01), and there was no significant difference on scores for bullying others (p > 0.05)
Summary
In China, children in rural areas who experienced separation from one or both of their parents for more than 6 months are defined as left-behind children (LBC) [1]. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the number of rural-urban migrants will increase to almost 300 million people in the coming 10 years, which will substantially increase the number of LBC [3]. These children are a special group, Art Therapy for Reducing School Bullying as they have a higher risk of psychological and educational problems in rural China, and their growth and development have been of general concern to society. Our study aimed to explore school bullying in LBC and examine the effectiveness of art therapy intervention for reducing bullying victimization affecting LBC in rural areas
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