Community-Based Intervention to Improve the Well-Being of Children Left Behind by Migrant Parents in Rural China

Minmin Jiang, Lu Li, Wei Xing Zhu and Therese Hesketh
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Minmin Jiang: Department of Social Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
Lu Li: Department of Social Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
Wei Xing Zhu: Department of Social Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
Therese Hesketh: Centre for Global Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-11

Abstract: In rural China around 60 million left-behind children (LBC) experience prolonged separation from migrant worker parents. They are vulnerable to a range of psychosocial problems. The aim of this study was to determine whether a community-based intervention consisting of Children’s Centres can improve psychosocial well-being and school performance of these children. The intervention was carried out in 20 villages, for children aged 7 to 15 years, irrespective of left-behind status. Nine hundred and twenty children, 438 LBC and 256 children living with parents (RC) attended the Centres. At follow-up after one year, there were improvements compared to baseline in total difficulties (measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) in children left behind by both parents ( p = 0.009), children left behind by one parent ( p = 0.008) and RC ( p = 0.05). Postintervention school performance significantly improved in both categories of LBC ( p < 0.001), but not RC ( p = 0.07); social support score increased in both categories of LBC ( p < 0.001) and RC ( p = 0.01). Findings from interviews with key stakeholders were overwhelmingly positive about the impacts. With strong local leadership and community motivation, a low-cost intervention can improve children’s psychosocial well-being in these settings. Allowing communities to adapt the model to their own situation fosters local ownership, commitment, with benefits for children, parents, carers, and communities.

Keywords: community-based intervention; left-behind children; rural children; China; psychosocial well-being; school performance; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ); internalizing problems; externalizing problems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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