Emotional and Behavioral Problems of Left-Behind Children in Impoverished Rural China: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study of Fourth-Grade Children

Abstract

Purpose Children who are left behind when their parents migrate for work have a high prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems, which affect social function and increase family burden. To date, no national survey has been conducted on the emotional and behavioral problems of left-behind children (LBC) in China. This study aimed to investigate the emotional and behavioral outcomes of primary school LBC in the fourth grade in impoverished rural China and the possible influences of family environment and parenting practices.

Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in 27 rural counties in the central and western parts of China from November 2016 to January 2017. The method of quota sampling was adopted to achieve a representative sample using postweighting adjustment. The survey sample was distributed proportionately across each county. LBC were defined as children aged <16 years who had two parents leave home to work or one parent leave home while the other lost the capacity to rear their children. The term “non–left-behind children” (NLBC) refers to children who have at least one parent who has not migrated for work. The Strengths and Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ) was applied to measure children's emotional and behavioral problems.

Results After the weighted calculations were performed, there were 1,147 LBC and 3,953 NLBC. The proportion of abnormal SDQ total scores (>17) was significantly higher in the LBC group than in the NLBC group (15.6% vs. 11.6%; p < .01). Binary regression analysis showed that high levels of insomnia (odds ratio [OR] 1.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–2.27), loneliness (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.13–2.43), and self-harm (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.17–3.16) may increase the risk of abnormal SDQ total scores in LBC.

Conclusions LBC showed a higher prevalence of abnormal SDQ total scores than NLBC. Insomnia, loneliness, and self-harm behavior were associated with abnormal SDQ total scores in LBC.