International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume 16, Issue 10, 2019

Mental health among left-behind children in rural China in relation to parent-child communication (Article) (Open Access)

Wang F. , Lin L. , Xu M. , Li L. , Lu J. , Zhou X.*
  • a The Institute of Social and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Rd., Hangzhou, 310058, China
  • b Faculty of Public Health Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock PL, Kings Cross, London, WC1H9SH, United Kingdom, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 641 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, United States
  • c The Institute of Social and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Rd., Hangzhou, 310058, China
  • d GOS Institute of Child Health, University College London, Guilford St, London, WC1N1EH, United Kingdom
  • e The Institute of Social and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Rd., Hangzhou, 310058, China
  • f The Institute of Social and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Rd., Hangzhou, 310058, China

Abstract

In China, there are an estimated 41 million left-behind children (LBC). The objective of this study was to examine the mental health of current-left-behind children (current-LBC) and previous-left-behind children (previous-LBC) as compared to never-left-behind children (never-LBC), while considering factors like parent-child communication. Children were recruited from schools in rural areas of Anhui province in eastern China. Participants completed a questionnaire focusing on migration status, mental health, and parent-child communication, measured with the validated Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (PACS). Full data were available for 1251 current-, 473 previous-, and 268 never-LBC in Anhui province. After adjusting for all confounding variables, the results showed that both current and previous parental migration was associated with significantly higher mental health difficulties, including aspects of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and total difficulties. Additionally, we found that difficulties communicating with parents were strongly associated with the presence of greater total difficulties in children. Parental migration has an independent, long-lasting negative effect on children. Poor parent-child communication is strongly associated with children’s mental health. These results indicate that parent-child communication is important for the development of children, and interventions are needed to improve migrant parents’ understanding and communication skills with their children. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Author Keywords

China Migration Mental health Left-behind children Parent-child communication

Index Keywords

Child, Abandoned China rural area Communication interpersonal communication mental health human communication behavior rural population controlled study abandoned child communication skill Surveys and Questionnaires Humans migrant psychology Adolescent male female questionnaire Parent-Child Relations child health Article strengths and difficulties questionnaire major clinical study migration human experiment confounding variable Transients and Migrants Anhui child parent relation Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85066921838&doi=10.3390%2fijerph16101855&partnerID=40&md5=e65a4ef3ed86c71c096a5db0f8e631e0
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16101855
ISSN: 16617827
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English