Health Status and Association With Interpersonal Relationships Among Chinese Children From Urban Migrant to Rural Left-Behind

Abstract

BackgroundTo date, numerous studies have examined the health status of Chinese left-behind children and migrant children. However, the impact of children's diverse migration/left-behind experiences on their health is still unclear.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2020 in Nanling country (Anhui province) and Kaihua country (Zhejiang province) in China. School children from grade 5 to 8 reported their socio-demographic, interpersonal relationships, self-rated health, suicidal ideation, and depression. Participants were divided into four groups based on their migrant patterns, namely rural left-behind children with previous migration experience (ME-LBC), rural children with previous migration experience (ME-NLBC), rural left-behind children without migration experience (LBC), and rural children without migration experience (NLBC).ResultsAmong 2,323 participants included in the present study, there were 336 ME-LBC (14.5%), 283 ME-NLBC (12.2%), 561 LBC (24.1%) and 1,143 NLBC (49.2%). Compared with NLBC, ME-LBC reported significantly poorer self-rated health (OR = 0.72, 95% CI [0.53–0.97], p < 0.05), higher risk of depression (β = 0.90, 95% CI [0.02–1.77], p < 0.05) with adjustment of socio-demographic and interpersonal relationships. There was no significant difference in suicidal ideation among different groups of children. The better interpersonal relationship was associated with a better self-rated health, and lower prevalence of depression and suicidal intention.ConclusionsCompared to ordinary rural children, ME-LBC tended to experience higher levels of depression and poorer self-rated health. These research findings imply developing intervention programs about psychological adjustment tailored to different migrant patterns of Chinese rural children. The keys might be to strengthen the relationships with peer and teacher in school and improve the quality of parent-child communication in family for LBC.

The Effect of a Multi-Component Positive Psychological Intervention on Promoting Wellbeing of Left-Behind Children in China

“…In a study conducted by Felllmeth et al, LBC had an increased risk of depression, suicidal ideation, and anxiety (Fellmeth et al, 2018). That LBC are more likely to experience depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation is supported by other studies (He et al, 2012, Liang et al, 2017Zhao et al, 2022). LBC are significantly more prone to problems when it comes to mental health, which includes emotional and behavioral issues and hyperactivity (Wang et al, 2019).…”

“…It was also found that, among the LBC, increased issues in parental communication correlates strongly to emotional and behavioral difficulties including hyperactivity (Wang et al, 2019). Zhao et al further confirmed that maternal communication difficulty for LBC had negative association with selfreported health and positive association with intention to commit suicide and depression (Zhao et al, 2022). In addition to parent-child communication, LBC are more likely to engage in deviant peer affiliation (Yang et al, 2021), which is shown to be a strong predictor of antisocial behavior (Lee, 2011).…”

“…On the contrary, they are less likely to perform pro-social behaviors than Non-LBC (Fan et al, 2010). In a study by Zhao et al, LBC reported less perceived care from teachers and friends compared with Non-LBC (Zhao et al, 2022).…”

Factors influencing patients' opt-in intention of exchanging health information

“…Individuals will have different views on information disclosure under different health conditions ( 38 ). The extent to which perceived behavior has control on opt-in decisions may vary depending on the current health status of people.…”

School Management and Education Development for Chinese Migrant Children: The Mediating Role of Assistance and Affective Support

“…On the one hand, the special family environment of migrant children makes their parents not have too much energy and ability to devote themselves to their children’s learning. On the other hand, the school environment of migrant children, especially those who have just transferred to city learning and have to accommodate urban style of living, is not ideal (Zhao et al, 2022). Their original close peer relationship and teacher-student relationship no longer exist.…”