Children's Emotional Adjustment Research Articles

The inequity of education, health and care plan provision for children and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Children and young people (CYP) with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) have significant additional educational needs compared with the general population. In England, the government has established a system of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) to support children with special educational needs and disabilities, but disparities exist between the degree of need and the availability of support. We conducted a prospective UK national cohort study (IMAGINE) of children with rare pathogenic genomic variants, all of which are associated with IDD, to investigate associated neuropsychiatric risk. Subsequently, we obtained information from the UK's National Pupil Database on their educational progress through the state school system. We aimed to identify whether they had received EHCP provision and whether that support was associated with their family's socioeconomic status, region of domicile, ethnicity, sex, primary special educational needs (SEN) type, academic performance and mental health well-being. We recruited 2738 CYP from England into the IMAGINE study between 2014 and 2019. The educational histories of the participants (6-28years old, mean±standard deviation= 14±4years, 56% male) were obtained from the Department for Education's National Pupil Database in 2021. Educational data included attainment scores from the Early Year Foundation Stage (<5years) to key stage 4 (15-16years). Each family was assigned an index of multiple deprivation (IMD) score based on their home address postcode. Parents or carers rated their child's emotional and behavioural adjustment on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The association between receiving an EHCP and the child's IMD score, eligibility for free school meals, English region of domicile, ethnicity, sex, primary SEN type, academic attainment and SDQ score was investigated. In this cohort, 78% of participants had received an EHCP. CYP living in the most deprived IMD deciles were substantially less likely to receive EHCP support than those in the least deprived decile, irrespective of their degree of intellectual developmental disability, academic performance or associated mental health problems. There were no sex differences. Children of Asian heritage were more likely to have been granted an EHCP than White children from equivalent IMD deciles. There were striking regional disparities. Participants living in London were significantly more likely to have been awarded an EHCP than participants living anywhere else in England, regardless of their IMD decile; those in the least deprived decile had almost 100% EHCP provision. This study found evidence for nationwide regional inconsistencies in the awarding of EHCP to CYP with significant intellectual impairments of known genetic aetiology. Disparities in funds available to education authorities could be a contributory factor. EHCP support was potentially influenced by how strongly a parent advocates for their child.

Predicting the Emotional Social Adjustment of Children with Autism Based on Mother-Child Anxiety and the Adaptability of Maternal Parenting

Objective: This study aimed to predict the emotional social adjustment of children with autism based on mother-child anxiety and the adaptability of maternal parenting. Methods and Materials: The research was descriptive and correlational. The population consisted of all mothers with autistic children in the city of Kut. The sample consisted of 200 mothers with autistic children, selected through convenient sampling. The research instruments included the Mother and Child Anxiety Scale (Ataabadi et al., 2021), the Social Emotional Skills Questionnaire for Children (Payton et al., 2008), and the Parenting Adaptability Scale (Yousefi, 2021). Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise regression) were used for data analysis. Findings: The results showed that among the predictor variables, mother-child anxiety and its dimensions, and parenting adaptability and its dimensions, were significantly correlated with emotional social adjustment. Among these variables and their dimensions, parental control, parenting concerns, and parent-child anxiety had predictive power for the emotional social adjustment of children. Conclusion: Based on these results, it can be said that improving parenting variables is beneficial for the improvement of children's emotional social adjustment.

Welfare Reform and the Quality of Young Children's Home Environments.

This study investigates the effects of welfare reform-a major policy shift in the United States that increased low-income mothers' employment and reliance on earnings instead of cash assistance-on the quality of the home environments mothers provide for their preschool-age children. Using empirical methods designed to identify plausibly causal effects, we estimate the effects of welfare reform on validated survey and observational measures of maternal behaviors that support children's cognitive skills and emotional adjustment and the material goods that parents purchase to stimulate their children's skill development. The results suggest that welfare reform did not affect the amount of time and material resources mothers devoted to cognitively stimulating activities with their young children. However, it significantly decreased emotional support provision scores, by approximately 0.3-0.4 standard deviations. The effects appear to be stronger for mothers with lower human capital. The findings provide evidence that welfare reform came at a cost to children in the form of lower quality parenting. They also underscore the importance of considering quality, and not just quantity, in assessing the effects of maternal work-incentive policies on parenting and children's home environments.

The Impacts of Divorce on Children: Exploring Consequences and Seeking Legitimate Solutions

With the acceleration of the divorce rate from the mid- 1960s to the early 1980s, the number of nontraditional families (such as single-parent families and reconstituted families) have increased relative to intact, first-time nuclear families, Divorce as a social carcass which yields as a results of separation between parents (couples) and divert them from their marriage rights has become one of the static problems of the day. . Although not entirely consistent, the pattern of empirical findings suggests that children's emotional, social, physical, and mental health adjustment, gender-role orientation, and antisocial behavior are affected by family structure, whereas other dimensions of well-being are unaffected. But the review indicates that these findings should be interpreted with caution because of the methodological deficiencies of many of the studies on which these findings are based. Several variables, including the level of family conflict, may be central variables mediating the effect of family structure on children. The purpose and aim of this paper is to investigate and study the consequences of Divorce on children. The study will also pinpoint the reasons of Divorce and effects both negative and positive aspect of Divorce. Secondary data will be apprehended to help as a perspective guide from recognized sources to elaborate the collective consequences of divorce on children. The study will also draw conclusions based on the diverse consequences of divorce on children.

Parental playfulness as a mediator of the association between parents’ emotional difficulties and children’s psychosocial adjustment

ABSTRACT This study examined parental playfulness as a mediator of the association between mothers' emotional difficulties (anxiety, depression) and their children's psychosocial adjustment (externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behaviours). We also examined the associations between parental playfulness and mothers' supportive / unsupportive reactions to their child's negative emotions. Participants were 197 mothers of children aged 3–8 years, who completed online questionnaires. Mothers' higher levels of emotional difficulties were associated with lower levels of parental playfulness, and these were associated with children's higher levels of externalizing and internalizing symptoms, and lower levels of prosocial behaviours. Parental playfulness mediated the relationship between mothers' emotional difficulties and children's externalizing symptoms. It was also positively related with mothers' supportive reactions to children's negative emotions and negatively related with unsupportive reactions. These findings underscore the importance of parental playfulness to children's emotional adjustment, particularly to externalizing symptoms, and may provide a basis for new parenting interventions.

Parenting toddlers: Evidences of parental needs from South India.

Quality of childcare can predict a child's emotional and behavioural adjustment throughout the life span. Furthermore, this has major implications for child development and mental health in the long-term. Parents often face major challenges while providing childcare especially during the early years of a child. This paper describes specific parental concerns in raising a toddler from a mental health developmental perspective. The study was conducted in urban Bengaluru, India under an exploratory research design using semi-structured interviews. Ten parents participated in the study. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Four major themes emerged. The first theme was related to the formation of parental beliefs about parenting which identified several sources such as parenting practices witnessed during childhood, childhood experiences and influence of culture, mass or social media. The second theme to emerge was on concerns related to toddlers which parents had difficulties in understanding as well as managing, specially navigating through sleep and feed pattern, identifying developmental needs and making a meaning of toddlers' communication styles and content. The third theme showed parental concerns which consisted of areas such as parental stress, physical exhaustion, lack of time for each other or toddler, lack of information about handling toddlers and absence of validation of parental efforts. The final theme was on their current parenting practices with their toddlers which showcased controlling styles, play time but low on quality, inappropriate responses to toddlers' emotions or behaviours and several culturally practiced measures which were not validated scientifically. The pre-existing belief among parents about parenting and toddlers' specific behaviours influence parenting practices. The understanding of the parental challenges is beneficial in developing an appropriate parenting programme focussing on strengthening psychological capacities of toddlers.

Family Cohesion Moderates the Relation between Parent-Child Neural Connectivity Pattern Similarity and Youth's Emotional Adjustment.

Despite a recent surge in research examining parent-child neural similarity using fMRI, there remains a need for further investigation into how such similarity may play a role in children's emotional adjustment. Moreover, no prior studies explored the potential contextual factors that may moderate the link between parent-child neural similarity and children's developmental outcomes. In this study, 32 parent-youth dyads (parents: M age = 43.53 years, 72% female; children: M age = 11.69 years, 41% female) watched an emotion-evoking animated film while being scanned using fMRI. We first quantified how similarly emotion network interacts with other brain regions in responding to the emotion-evoking film between parents and their children. We then examined how such parent-child neural similarity is associated with children's emotional adjustment, with attention to the moderating role of family cohesion. Results revealed that higher parent-child similarity in functional connectivity pattern during movie viewing was associated with better emotional adjustment, including less negative affect, lower anxiety, and greater ego resilience in youth. Moreover, such associations were significant only among families with higher cohesion, but not among families with lower cohesion. The findings advance our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying how children thrive by being in sync and attuned with their parents, and provide novel empirical evidence that the effects of parent-child concordance at the neural level on children's development are contextually dependent.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT What neural processes underlie the attunement between children and their parents that helps children thrive? Using a naturalistic movie-watching fMRI paradigm, we find that greater parent-child similarity in how emotion network interacts with other brain regions during movie viewing is associated with youth's better emotional adjustment including less negative affect, lower anxiety, and greater ego resilience. Interestingly, these associations are only significant among families with higher cohesion, but not among those with lower cohesion. Our findings provide novel evidence that parent-child shared neural processes to emotional situations can confer benefits to children, and underscore the importance of considering specific family contexts in which parent-child neural similarity may be beneficial or detrimental to children's development, highlighting a crucial direction for future research.

Effect of Sand PlayTherapy onAggression and Emotional Adjustment of Children with Hearing Impairment

&#x0D; Background and Aim: Sand Play Therapy (SPT) is a psychotherapy and nonverbal method used for people with trauma, disabilities, and distress. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of SPT on aggression and emotional adjustment of children with a hearing impairment aged 5–7 years.&#x0D; Methods: : In this quasi-experiment study with a pretest-posttest design and a control group, 30 children aged 5–7 years with hearing impairment participated. They were randomly assigned into two groups: control and experimental. The research instruments were Sinha and Singh adjustment questionnaire and the Shahim aggression questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed using multivariate covariance analysis.&#x0D; Results: There were statistically significant differences (score decrease) between the two study groups after the SPT in terms of aggression (p&lt;0.05) and the emotional adjustment of children (p&lt;0.05).&#x0D; Conclusion: The results showed that SPT could decrease aggression and improve emotional adjustment in children with hearing loss. This method can be used to rehabilitate these children.&#x0D; Keywords: Hearing impairment; emotional adjustment; aggression; sand play therapy

Parenting stress in autism: do children's characteristics still count more than stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience higher levels of stress than parents of typically-developing (TD) children, due to differences in their children's emotional functioning. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the cognitive and practical demands on vulnerable populations and their families. The aim of this study was to examine parenting stress levels in parents of children ASD and TD children, considering the children's emotional functioning (i.e., anxiety and cognitive emotion regulation strategies), and stressful life events deriving from the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved 64 parent-child dyads comprising children from 7 to 16 years old, divided into two groups: 32 (26M) children and adolescents with ASD but no intellectual disability, and 32 (26M) with typical development. Our results show that parents of children with ASD reported higher levels of stress, but factors relating to the child and the context had a different influence on parenting stress in the ASD and TD groups. The higher level of parenting stress in the ASD group seemed to relate more to the children's emotional characteristics, while the TD group was more affected by the unpredictable stressful events prompted by COVID-19. Families' mental health should be considered a core aspect of supporting parents having to deal with both their child's emotional adjustment and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

EFFECT OF SCREEN TIME ON PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL FUNCTIONING OF CHILDREN DURING THE TIME OF LOCKDOWN

Background &amp; Objective: Screen time has now become a most concerned issue around the world due its negative effects on children' health. COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO) during March 2022 and lockdown was one of the strategy to control disease transmission. This study aims to investigate whether this lockdown caused an increase in screen time and what are its effects on physical, emotional, and behavioral functioning of children.&#x0D; Methods: It was a cross-sectional study including a sample of 260 mothers of children aged 5–13 years from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, during March to June 2021. A google survey form was developed and participants were invited using a google link on social media, parents' groups, Whats app groups and school facebook pages. Screen time was measured in number of screen hours per day. Physical health was evaluated through body mass index (BMI) reports. Children's Emotional Adjustment Scale (CEAS) and Strengths &amp; Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were used for behavioral and emotional problems. Coefficient of correlation and t-test was used for examining the difference of means.&#x0D; Results: About 244 (94%) mothers reported that screen time of their children is significantly increased during COVID-19 lockdown. There was a negative relationship observed between screen time with temper and anxiety control (r= -0.13; p= 0.04). However, a positive relationship was found for hyperactivity (r= 0.74; p&lt;0.001) and conduct problems (r= 0.18; p= 0.003). We found a gender difference for screen time (t= 4.39; p=0.001) and hyperactivity (t= 2.35; p= 0.02), where boys were more hyperactive than girls. No significant difference was obsereved for BMI and pro-social behavior.&#x0D; Conclusion: Screen time among children is considerably increased during lockdown and this is associated with low temper control, anxiety, hyperactivity, and conduct problems. Remedial strategies are required at national level; media and school authorities can play a vital role in this regard.

Mental health among children with long COVID during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A growing number of studies report that persons of all ages, infected with SARS-CoV-2, may experience long-term persistent symptoms, known as long COVID (LC) or post COVID-19 condition. This is one of the first studies examining the consequences of LC on children's mental health. In this case-control study, we compared select mental health aspects of 103 children diagnosed with LC to a control group of 113 children uninfected with SARS-COV-2; all 4-18years old. Both groups were assessed via parents' questionnaires. In comparison to the control group, children with LC exhibited more memory difficulties. However, no group differences emerged in other functional aspects (connection with friends and engagement in physical activities), problems with concentration, or levels of emotional-behavioral problems (externalizing, internalizing, ADHD, and PTSD symptoms). We also found that children with LC had greater exposure to COVID-19-related stressors. Higher levels of parental worries regarding their children's functioning and economic difficulties at home significantly predicted higher levels of children's emotional-behavioral problems and were better predictors than the child's age, social functioning, or LC diagnosis. Conclusion: LC was associated with impairments in some aspects of children's memory which may relate to academic functioning, but not with higher rates of emotional-behavioral problems, thus warranting interventional programs addressing school functioning and cognitive abilities in this population. Additionally, parents' economic stress and worries regarding their child's emotional adjustment during the pandemic, are important factors affecting pandemic-related emotional-behavioral problems among children, regardless of COVID-19 infection, that should be addressed. What is Known: • Children may have long COVID (LC) after being infected with SARS-COV-2. What is New: • LC may be associated to impairments in some aspects of children's memory, as reported by parents. • Parents' economic stress and worries concerning their children's emotional adjustment during the pandemic are associated with more distress in their children.

Impact of Post Displacement Anxiety Therapy on Emotional Adjustment of Children in Displaced Communities in Plateau State.

Impact of Post Displacement Anxiety Therapy on Emotional Adjustment of Children in Displaced Communities in Plateau State.

Parenting Program: Its Impact on Students' Religious Character in Integrated Islamic Elementary Schools

An effective public health approach can help evaluate the effectiveness of parenting programs in reducing child maltreatment. Parenting can show effectiveness in improving children's emotional and behavioral adjustment. Parenting programs are useful for parents to add insight and awareness about appropriate child development. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the parenting program on the religious character of students at Ar Rahman Jati Agung integrated Islamic elementary school. The method used is quantitative method. The sampling technique used. Purposive sampling. Data collection methods are questionnaires and documentation. The results of the f test simultaneously sig value 0.001 0.05 and the value of f count 8.469 3.16, then there is an influence of the parenting program and parenting on the religious character of students at SDIT Ar Rahman Jati Agung. The coefficient of determination test results show 22% which means that the effect is in the low category.

Effect of Parenting Styles on Emotional Adjustment of Children in Secondary School in Nnewi South of Anambra State, Nigeria

This study looked into how parenting styles affected secondary school-aged children's emotional adjustment. It specifically referred to the senior and junior secondary schools in the Anambra state's Nnewi South LGA. Based on pertinent literature, two research questions were developed. The various parenting philosophies, as well as self-concept and emotional adjustment, were examined. Senior and junior secondary school students that responded to the survey. Six secondary schools were sampled, and the results were utilized to identify the responders. The questionnaires used as the investigation's tool received responses from 180 boys and girls. The survey asks for personal information like gender and details on parenting practices and emotional adjustment. The study's results also showed that there is only a tenuous connection between parental parenting practices and secondary school students' emotional adjustment. This indicates that changes in parenting practices are not connected to changes in the emotional adjustment of teenagers. Additionally, there is no statistically significant relationship between parenting styles and secondary school children's emotional adjustment. The study's recommendations for parents include making sure that the parenting style they employ for their youngsters will aid in the development of healthy emotional adjustment and allowing the school counselor to start a program that will assist students in creating positive emotional self-concept.

Emotional Adjustment in Children with Vocal Fold Nodules

Vocal fold nodules (VNs) in children are benign, bilateral, callous-like lesions at the junction of the anterior third and posterior two-thirds of the true vocal folds. Chronic, repetitive, and intense vocal behavior is often cited as the primary etiology; however, difficulties with emotional adjustment may predispose some children towards extreme and possibly phonotraumatic vocal activity, thereby contributing secondarily to the development of VNs. This case-control study examined the association between features of emotional adjustment and VNs in children. Parents of children with VNs (N=40, Mage=7.5, SDage=2.03) and two medical control groups [ie, voice disordered, but not VNs (VDCs; N=40, Mage= 7.09, SDage=2.01) and vocally normal controls (VNCs; N=40, Mage=7.6, SDage=1.54)] participated in the study. Features of emotional adjustment were assessed using two inventories: the Parent Rating scale for Reactive and Proactive Aggression and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale - Parent version. As compared with the VNCs, children with VNs were significantly more aggressive (P=0.042, Cohen's d=0.47) whereas the VDCs were more depressed (P=0.013, Cohen's d=0.60). Furthermore, VDCs experienced more separation anxiety than VNs (P=0.038, Cohen's d=0.45) and VNCs (P=0.021, Cohen's d=0.55). No other significant between-group differences were identified between the VNs and VDCs. When present, elevated aggression may represent a risk factor for VNs formation in children, and possibly influence treatment outcomes. Therefore, the current results highlight the importance of understanding the role of emotional adjustment in the evaluation and treatment of dysphonia in children.

Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research: Sandra A. Graham-Bermann.

The Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research is given to a psychologist whose research has led to important discoveries or developments in the field of applied psychology. The 2022 recipient is Sandra A. Graham-Bermann. Graham-Bermann is a professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Michigan and director of the Child Violence and Trauma Lab. Her research focuses on resilience, intimate partner violence (IPV), and community-based intervention programs, along with understanding the psychological mechanisms relevant to how children manage trauma and violence, translating that work into culturally sensitive interventions for families. She has made significant contributions to understanding how IPV and stress affect children's social, physical, and emotional adjustment and to developing measures to assess stress and outcomes. Her work has been translated into important interventions, made easily accessible, and implemented across settings, including with undocumented immigrants in Michigan and Texas and with Native Alaskans. This work has had a huge impact on people often excluded from clinical services. Dr. Graham- Bermann also developed the Kids' Empowerment Program to promote health and wellness in children. This work-from measure development to intervention-exemplifies the development and application of methodologies and interventions to provide direct and immediate solutions to significant and practical problems in the field. Her contributions have been recognized over time with multiple prestigious awards, and she is likewise highly deserving of this distinguished award. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Longitudinal Relations Between Parental Strain, Parent\u2013Child Relationship Quality, and Child Well-Being During the Unfolding COVID-19 Pandemic

As COVID-19 sweeps across the globe, scientists have identified children and families as possibly particularily vulnerable populations. The present study employed a developmental framework with two measurement points (the first at the peak of the lockdown restrictions (N = 2,921), the second after restrictions had been majorly loosened (N = 890)) to provide unique insights into the relations between parental strain, child well-being, and child problem behavior. Cross-lagged panel analyses revealed longitudinal effects of child well-being and problem behavior at T1 on parental strain at T2 with parent–child relationship quality as a moderator. True intraindividual change models showed that decreases in parental strain between measurement points predicted increases in child well-being and decreases in child problem behavior. Thus, the present research points to parental stress coping and child emotional adjustment as promising avenues for professionals and policy makers in their efforts to ensure child and family well-being throughout the pandemic.

Parent and Teacher-Reported Child Outcomes Seven Years After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Nested Case Control Study.

Background: Increasing evidence suggests potential lifetime effects following mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) in childhood. Few studies have examined medium-term outcomes among hospitalized and non-hospitalized samples. Study aims were to describe children's behavioral and emotional adjustment, executive function (EF), quality of life, and participation at 7-years following mild TBI using parents' and teachers' reports.Methods: Nested case control study of 86 children (68% male, mean age at assessment = 11.27 years; range 7–17 years) who sustained a mild TBI 7-years previously, identified from a prospective, population-based study. They were compared to 69 children free from TBI (61% male, mean age at assessment = 11.12 years; range 5–17 years). In addition to parent-reported socio-demographic details, parents (mild TBI n = 86, non-TBI n = 69) completed age-appropriate standardized questionnaires about children's health-related quality of life, behavioral and emotional adjustment, EF, and social participation. Parents own mood was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Teachers (mild TBI n = 53, non-TBI n = 42) completed questionnaires about children's behavioral and emotional adjustment, and EF.Results: Parent reports showed median group-level scores for cases were statistically significantly greater than controls for emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, total behavioral difficulties, inhibitory control, shifting, planning/organizing, and Global Executive Composite (total) EF difficulties (p-values 0.001–0.029). Parent reports of child quality of life and social participation were similar, as were teacher reports of child behavioral and emotional adjustment, and EF (p > 0.05). When examining clinical cut-offs, compared to controls, cases had a higher risk of parent-reported total EF difficulties (odds ratio = 3.00) and, to a lesser extent, total behavior problems (odds ratio = 2.51).Conclusions: As a group, children with a history of mild TBI may be at elevated risk for clinically significant everyday EF difficulties in the medium-term compared to non-TBI controls, as judged by their parents. Further multi-informant longitudinal research is required, following larger samples. Aspects requiring particular attention include pre-injury characteristics, such as sleep disturbances and comorbidities (e.g., headaches), that may act as potential confounders influencing the association between mild TBI and child behavioral problems.

A Systematic Review of Parenting Interventions to Support Siblings of Children with a Chronic Health Condition.

This systematic review summarises the parenting intervention literature for parents of children who have a sibling with a chronic health condition, and evaluates intervention efficacy for improving parent (parenting skills, parenting efficacy) and child (emotional and behavioural adjustment, condition knowledge, quality of life) outcomes. Electronic databases were searched to identify relevant papers published in English from inception until May 2020. Reference lists of eligible papers were further searched for relevant articles. Six papers (two controlled trials, four uncontrolled trials) evaluating four separate intervention programs met inclusion criteria. All included parent- and child-focused intervention components. Results showed an overall trend for pre- to post-intervention improvement in children's behavioural and emotional adjustment and health condition knowledge. Few studies examined effects on parent outcomes, and there was no evidence of change on these measures. Overall, results suggest that parenting interventions may help to improve siblings' emotional and behavioural adjustment and condition knowledge; however, all of the interventions combined parent- and child-directed intervention components, making it difficult to determine which intervention elements drive change. Further research is needed to test mechanisms by which parenting interventions may improve outcomes for siblings of children with chronic health conditions, and to establish the efficacy of this approach.

Left-behind children's social adjustment and relationship with parental coping with children's negative emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Using data collected from two provinces in China through an online survey, the current study aimed to investigate left‐behind children's emotional and academic adjustment during the COVID‐19 pandemic in China. The participants included 1780 left‐behind (960 boys) and 1500 non‐left‐behind (811 boys) children in elementary and junior high school with a mean age of 11.23. Self‐reported questionnaires concerning children's depression, loneliness, anxiety, and academic adjustment, and parents' coping with children's negative emotions were completed. The results suggested that compared with non‐left‐behind children, left‐behind children's depression and anxiety symptoms were more severe and their academic adjustment was poorer. However, left‐behind children had lower levels of loneliness than non‐left‐behind children. Additionally, supportive coping types, especially emotion‐focused and problem‐focused reactions, were significantly negatively correlated with children's depression and anxiety. Unsupportive coping types, especially distress and punitive reactions, were significantly positively correlated with children's depression and anxiety symptoms. Moreover, the relationships between punitive reactions and depression, ignoring and loneliness and problem‐focused reactions and academic adjustment were significantly stronger in left‐behind children. Hence, during the pandemic, left‐behind children were still at a disadvantage even with their parents' company. However, parents' coping style towards left‐behind children's negative emotions played a significant role in their adjustment.