Well-being Of Left-behind Children Research Articles

Study Habits and English Learning Achievement of Left-behind Children in a Selected Rural Primary School: A Correlation Study

In the process of urbanization, a large number of migrant workers have appeared. Such migration often leads to the migration of rural youth to cities, leaving their children to the care of older relatives due to various restrictions. This situation requires social attention to the overall well-being of left-behind children, especially in their education. Lack of parental guidance and support due to long-term separation often leads to unbalanced academic and personal life, leading to problems such as passive participation, disinterest in learning, inattention in class and poor note-taking. This paper aims to explore the influence of learning habits and English learning performance of left-behind children in rural primary schools in Shandong Province. This provides comprehensive support for left-behind children in rural areas and cultivates their ability to learn independently.

The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital in the Relationship between Insecure Attachment and Subjective Well-being of Chinese Left-behind Children

The rising number of left-behind children in China, particularly in rural areas, underscores the urgent need to understand the complex interplay between insecure attachment and subjective well-being among this vulnerable population. The absence of one or both parents during their developmental years exposes these children to unique familial dynamics, contributing to unmet emotional needs and compromised parent-child relationships. Insecure attachment patterns often emerge as a consequence, further exacerbating the risk of mental health challenges. This study employs regression analysis and difference analysis to investigate the relationship between insecure attachment and subjective well-being among left-behind children, with psychological capital as a mediating variable. By elucidating the mechanisms underlying these associations, this research aims to inform targeted intervention strategies tailored to the needs of left-behind children.The findings underscore the multifaceted nature of subjective well-being in this population, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive interventions that address social, emotional, and psychological needs within familial and peer contexts. By fostering supportive relationships, enhancing emotional resilience, and promoting positive coping strategies, interventions can mitigate the adverse effects of parental migration on the well-being of left-behind children. While this study contributes valuable insights, future research should consider incorporating mixed-method approaches to capture the nuanced experiences and perceptions of left-behind children, thereby enhancing the validity and comprehensiveness of findings.

The Well-Being of Left-Behind Children in Rural Sichuan, China

Chinese scholars focused on the status of children's subjective well-being. However, one significant gap is the need to measure comprehensive child well-being in China's backward economic rural areas. The study adopted a multidimensional child well-being approach and child-centred perspective to measure rural left-behind children's material, physical, educational, psychological, and social well-being and present the multidimensional well-being of left-behind children in rural China. The study adopted a quantitative approach, and the survey method was the preferred approach for this study. A multistage random sampling technique was used to choose the geographical location of the study, study area, and children as survey respondents. Four hundred eighty left-behind children aged 10 to 16 in Sichuan province, China, were selected for the study. The selected left-behind children experienced a high level of well-being domains, except for moderate educational well-being. However, pocket money, physical exercise, academic achievement, child welfare for education, social services, coping strategies, and activity engagement were the core targets to promote the left-behind children's well-being through improving social expenditure on children, empowering the child welfare system, and providing sufficient social services in school in China.

Boosting happiness in left-behind children: Unveiling the power of physical activity through cognitive reappraisal and psychological resilience.

This study examines the mediating roles of cognitive reappraisal (CR) and psychological resilience (PR) in the relationship between physical activity (PA) and subjective well-being (SWB) among left-behind children in China. A cross-sectional design was employed to collect data from 606 students in grades 4-9. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and Adolescent Resilience Scale were used to collect data. The findings revealed a significant direct effect of PA on SWB and identified CR and PR as significant mediators in this relationship. In particular, the findings indicated that PA was associated with enhanced CR and PR, which in turn, were positively linked to SWB. The study elucidated the chain mediation pathway "PA → CR → PR → SWB," thereby underscoring the pivotal roles of CR and PR in the positive impact of PA on SWB among left-behind children. The findings indicate that PA plays a significant role in the SWB of left-behind children, with CR and PR identified as key mediators in this relationship. The study highlights the necessity of promoting PA, in conjunction with strategies to enhance CR and PR, as efficacious interventions for the enhancement of the mental health and well-being of left-behind children.

Parental migration status moderates the link between parent-child relationship and children's well-being through psychological distress.

The effects of parental migration on the well-being of left-behind children (LBC) are varied. Several studies demonstrated that parental migration reduces children's psychological health but other research showed contradictory results. This study sought to clarify this issue by examining the mediating role of psychological distress and the moderating role of parental migration status in the association between the parent-child relationship and children's psychological distress. A total of 743 LBC and 688 non-LBC self-reported their parent-child relationship, psychological distress, and well-being. Findings showed that psychological distress mediated the association between parent-child relationship and children's well-being. This denotes that greater parent-child relationship results into lowered levels of psychological distress, and in turn, increases children's emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Moreover, the link between parent-child relationship and psychological distress was found to be contingent to parental migration status. Specifically, the negative association between parent-child relationship and psychological distress was especially strong among LBC in contrast to non- LBC. This implies that children with higher quality relationships with their parents tend to exhibit decreased severity of psychological distress symptoms, especially in children whose parents are working overseas. These results underscore the dynamic role of parent-child relationship in the well-being of LBC, and suggest ways to develop intervention programs that include cultivating skills in managing psychological distress and improving the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of LBC.

Psychological Well-Being of Left-Behind Children in China: Text Mining of the Social Media Website Zhihu.

China’s migrant population has significantly contributed to its economic growth; however, the impact on the well-being of left-behind children (LBC) has become a serious public health problem. Text mining is an effective tool for identifying people’s mental state, and is therefore beneficial in exploring the psychological mindset of LBC. Traditional data collection methods, which use questionnaires and standardized scales, are limited by their sample sizes. In this study, we created a computational application to quantitively collect personal narrative texts posted by LBC on Zhihu, which is a Chinese question-and-answer online community website; 1475 personal narrative texts posted by LBC were gathered. We used four types of words, i.e., first-person singular pronouns, negative words, past tense verbs, and death-related words, all of which have been associated with depression and suicidal ideations in the Chinese Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (CLIWC) dictionary. We conducted vocabulary statistics on the personal narrative texts of LBC, and bilateral t-tests, with a control group, to analyze the psychological well-being of LBC. The results showed that the proportion of words related to depression and suicidal ideations in the texts of LBC was significantly higher than in the control group. The differences, with respect to the four word types (i.e., first-person singular pronouns, negative words, past tense verbs, and death-related words), were 5.37, 2.99, 2.65, and 2.00 times, respectively, suggesting that LBC are at a higher risk of depression and suicide than their counterparts. By sorting the texts of LBC, this research also found that child neglect is a main contributing factor to psychological difficulties of LBC. Furthermore, mental health problems and the risk of suicide in vulnerable groups, such as LBC, is a global public health issue, as well as an important research topic in the era of digital public health. Through a linguistic analysis, the results of this study confirmed that the experiences of left-behind children negatively impact their mental health. The present findings suggest that it is vital for the public and nonprofit sectors to establish online suicide prevention and intervention systems to improve the well-being of LBC through digital technology.

Impacts of international labor migration on the mental health and well-being of left-behind children

Abstract Background Labor migration is a challenge for the globalised world due to its long-term effects such as the formation of transnational families with the particularly vulnerable groups of left-behind children (LBC). These families, where family members of migrant workers are 'left-behind' are becoming common practice in many developing countries. In this systematic literature review, we aimed to investigate the impacts of parental labor migration on the mental health and well-being of their LBC. Methods Following the PRISMA guidelines, we performed a systematic literature search in English using PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar for studies, investigating mental health and well-being among LBC who live in transnational families. Case-reports, qualitative studies as well as opinion papers were excluded. We summarized the evidence and additionally compared quantitative results. Results 25 studies were selected for the final analysis. We found that mental health and well-being outcomes of LBC differ across regions and sometimes even within regions. Only studies conducted in South America and South Asia observed purely negative effects. Overall, LBC show abnormal SDQ (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) scores and report higher levels of depression and loneliness, than children who do not live in transnational families. Evidence suggests that gender of migrant parent, culture and other transnational family characteristics such as family arrangement, the role of the mother and the role of the father contribute to the well-being and psychological health of LBC. Conclusions International migration of parents has more negative than positive effects (e.g. through remittances) on the mental health and well-being of LBC. However, the effects strongly depend on family arrangements and care giving practices in migrants' sending countries. Key messages Further research utilizing longitudinal data is needed to better explore the complex and long-term effects of parental migration on LBC. Multidimensional family characteristics are crucial and should be better explored when examining the impacts of migratory separation on left-behind children.

Effects of International Labour Migration on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Left-Behind Children: A Systematic Literature Review.

Labour migration is a challenge for the globalised world due to its long-term effects such as the formation of transnational families. These families, where family members of migrant workers are “left-behind”, are becoming a common phenomenon in many low- and middle-income countries. Our systematic literature review investigated the effects of international parental labour migration on the mental health and well-being of left-behind children. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we performed searches in PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar, resulting in 30 finally included studies. We found that mental health and well-being outcomes of left-behind children differed across and sometimes even within regions. However, only studies conducted in the Americas and South Asia observed purely negative effects. Overall, left-behind children show abnormal Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire scores and report higher levels of depression and loneliness than children who do not live in transnational families. Evidence from the studies suggests that gender of the migrant parent, culture and other transnational family characteristics contribute to the well-being and mental health of left-behind children. Further research utilising longitudinal data is needed to better understand the complex and lasting effects on left-behind children.

A Scoping Review of Interventions to Promote Health and Well-Being of Left-behind Children in Mainland China

Abstract Approximately 65 million children in mainland China are left behind in rural areas while their parents work in the cities. Research has highlighted their health needs. However, current research on interventions for this population is unknown. The purpose of this study was to systematically review existing health service interventions for left-behind children in China. The study team identified interventions for left-behind children by conducting a comprehensive search of major academic databases for Chinese and English research. Articles were retained in the study if they were original empirical intervention studies that target health and related well-being outcomes of left-behind children. A total of eighteen unique studies met inclusion criteria. The majority of them demonstrated positive outcomes using various modalities, including education, sport and nutrition guidance and nursing services. However, the shortcomings in research design and intervention limit their replication. Intervention research for left-behind children shows an enormous gap in the knowledge about this at-risk group. Of the existing programs identified, we observe considerable promise for interventions based on inter-disciplinary approaches to services. We provide additional recommendations for conducting future research and for building collaborative relationships with social workers to better serve the needs of children.

Resilience as moderator of the relationship between left-behind experience and mental health of Chinese adolescents.

In China, since the rural labor, leaving their children in the hometown to other caregivers is a trend that has been increasing, and the impact of parental absence on the well-being of left-behind children is increasingly drawing attention in the Chinese society. However, there is a lack of study on the potential impacts of being left behind on later psychosocial outcomes in adolescence and associated protective factors. This study was conducted on a large sample of Chinese college students to test the moderating effect of resilience between left-behind experience and mental health problems. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and Symptom Checklist as well as a self-reported questionnaire about left-behind experience designed by the authors were adopted for a survey with 2,968 Chinese college students as respondents. Totally, 1,063 students (35.8%) had 1 year or more left-behind experience. Compared to those who had no left-behind experience, the students who had left-behind experience were rated lower on resilience score and higher on mental health problem score. Mental health problems had a negative correlation with resilience. Regression analysis showed that resilience moderated left-behind experience and mental health problems. Individuals with left-behind experience are more vulnerable to mental health problems. Promoting resilience may be helpful for prevention of mental health problems in college students with left-behind experience.