The Sexual Abuse and Neglect of “Left-behind” Children in Rural China

Wang, Chao; Tang, Jiayi; Liu, Tao

doi:10.1080/10538712.2020.1733159

Cited by 25 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Caregiver presence in some family structures may be associated with a “protective” effect (Lam & Yeoh, 2018; Li et al, 2014). As also found in the present study, the major impact of effects of CELB on mental health may be exerted through associated CEMTs and other CAs that were not measured in the present study (Martins‐Monteverde et al, 2019; C. Wang et al, 2020). Furthermore, some of the participants who had CELB may have relied on previously learned self‐reliance skills which might be a “protective” factor for adapting to first‐year life in the university.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

The interactions between childhood adversities and recent stress were associated with early‐adulthood depression among Chinese undergraduate students

Guo

Tang

et al. 2021

Depression and Anxiety

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Background It is widely acknowledged that childhood adversities (CAs) and recent stress are potential risk factors for adult depression. However, the mechanism(s) by which interactions of CAs with recent stress affect adult depression remain unclear. Aims To investigate the predictive association of the interaction among CAs and recent stress with early‐adult depression. Method We conducted an annual survey of all freshmen for the period of 2016‐2018 in a Chinese comprehensive university, with a sample size of 23,206. An online questionnaire including standardized self‐report instruments was used to assess sociodemographic factors, childhood experiences of left‐behind (CELB), and maltreatments (CEMTs) including beating (CEB), neglect (CEN), sexual abuse (CESA), recent stress, and current depression (measured by the 9‐item Patient Health Questionnaire). Results The correlation of Individual CAs and recent stress was significant. In addition to their significant independent/direct incremental effects, all surveyed CAs were associated with increased severity of early‐adult depression, and increased frequency of clinically significant depression (CSD), through significant associations with recent stress (mediation effect). History of CEMTs including CEB, CEN, and CESA significantly increased the effects of recent stress on depression (moderation effect). Conclusions Chinese undergraduate students reported frequent history of exposure to CAs, which increased the likelihood of depression in early adulthood, not only directly but also through the increasing the likelihood (mediation effect) and impact (moderation effect) of recent stress on depression. These novel findings may help to extend our understanding of environmental determinants of depression, and to guide further research, clinical practice, and policy in this context.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

The interactions between childhood adversities and recent stress were associated with early‐adulthood depression among Chinese undergraduate students

Guo

Tang

et al. 2021

Depression and Anxiety

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“…For example, in rural areas of Mexico, the children whose father works in other places have 39% higher incidence of disease than the non-left-behind children, and their incidence of diarrhea is increased by 51% [19]. In addition, the risk of physical and mental disorders in the left-behind children is higher than that in the non-leftbehind children, such as car accidents, falls [3], sexual abuse, neglect [20] and bullying [21], and less communication with parents [6]. It is worth noting whether the negative life events experienced by left-behind children aggravate their depressive symptoms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Network analysis of the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms in the left-behind children

Ren

et al. 2021

BMC Psychiatry

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Background There are 68.77 million left-behind children in China, who are at a great risk of depression associated with negative life events. Our study aims to investigate the most central symptoms of depression in left-behind children and the relationship between depressive symptoms and negative life events using network analysis. Method A cross-sectional data set (N = 7255) was used, which included children and adolescents aged 7 to 17. Network analysis was used to evaluate: 1) the most central symptoms among the items included in Child Depression Inventory (CDI) of the left-behind children; 2) bridge symptoms between depressive disorder and Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Check List (ASLEC) of the left-behind children; 3) differences in networks of depressive disorders between left-behind and non-left-behind children, and 4) differences in the network of depression and negative life events between left-behind and non-left-behind children. The stability and centrality indices of the network were also evaluated in the study. Results The most central symptoms in the CDI among the left-behind children included self-hatred, crying, fatigue, and sadness. The items with the highest bridge strength centrality in the CDI-ASLEC network included academic stress, discrimination, and school performance decrement. Higher bridge strength values indicate a greater risk of contagion to other communities. The connections in the CDI-ASLEC network are denser in the left-behind children than in non-left-behind children. Limitations The study which was conducted based on cross-sectional data shows that network analysis can only make undirected estimation, but not causal inferences. Conclusions We identified the core symptoms of depression and the bridge symptoms between negative life events and depression in the left-behind children. These findings suggest that more attention should be paid to self-hatred, sadness, and fatigue in the treatment of depression in left-behind children. Intervention for academic stress and discrimination of the left-behind children may help to reduce the contagion of negative life events to depression symptoms.

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“…This further confirms that there are more than 60% of migrant rural families now facing the problem of marital separation. While selecting the survey location, the following factors were taken into consideration: the differences of urban class, size, urbanization level, geographical position, and the number of left-behind women [22]. Six cities were identified to conduct the survey.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ritualized Law and Livelihood Fragility of Left-Behind Women in Rural China

Wang

Tang

2020

IJERPH

Self Cite

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Family separation in rural China has led to a considerably large number of left-behind women who have to deal with livelihood fragility. The Department for International Development (DFID) framework focusing on households provides a base to understand the livelihood fragility of these women. Based on this framework and the existing field research, this study identifies that the national macro-strategy of unsynchronized development of industrialization, informatization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization leads to a separated migration model for rural families. Furthermore, the process of social modernization increases the fragility risk of how the left-behind family functions. The traditional gender culture expectations also directly affect rural families to make the livelihood strategy choice of, “male working outside, female taking care of home”. Based on the above theoretical research, this study extracts the concept of “ritualized law” to shed light on gender differentiation and family separation. A number of formal social security institutions have been established to promote the development of farmers, however, the ingrained culture gender differentiation encourages men to work in the profitable urban industry while women work in the field of unpaid agriculture and shoulder the responsibility of housework. This makes the formal institution a symbolic ornament for left-behind women, while they are forced to stay in rural areas and suffer from the fragility of livelihood.

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The Sexual Abuse and Neglect of “Left-behind” Children in Rural China

Cited by 25 publications

References 21 publications

The interactions between childhood adversities and recent stress were associated with early‐adulthood depression among Chinese undergraduate students

The interactions between childhood adversities and recent stress were associated with early‐adulthood depression among Chinese undergraduate students

Network analysis of the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms in the left-behind children

Ritualized Law and Livelihood Fragility of Left-Behind Women in Rural China

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