Teacher support, peer support, and externalizing problems among left-behind children in rural China: Sequential mediation by self-esteem and self-control

Ruiping Zhang, Zeguo Qiu, Yajun Li, Lihong Liu and Suhua Zhi

Children and Youth Services Review, 2021, vol. 121, issue C

Abstract: Social support can mitigate the negative effects of being left-behind for children on adverse outcomes like externalizing problems. Self-esteem and self-control were found to be positively associated with social support and negatively with children’s externalizing problems. This study aimed to investigate whether self-esteem and self-control mediated the associations of teacher support and peer support with externalizing problems. Survey data were gathered from a cross-sectional study of left-behind children in a rural region in Henan Province, China (N = 301). Structural equation modelling indicated that the associations of teacher support and peer support with externalizing problems were mediated by self-esteem and in turn self-control. Peer support, but not teacher support, was negatively and directly linked to externalizing problems above the mediation effect. This study indicated a sequential mediation model from teacher and peer support to left-behind children’s externalizing problem behaviors via self-esteem and in turn self-control. These findings may provide some guidance for the intervention programs to reduce externalizing problems in left-behind children.

Keywords: Left-behind children; Teacher support; Peer support; Self-esteem; Self-control; Externalizing problems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:121:y:2021:i:c:s0190740920322465

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105824

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