Perceived Stress, Social Support, Emotional Intelligence, and Post-Stress Growth among Chinese Left-Behind Children: A Moderated Mediation Model

Lyuci Zhang, Samsilah Roslan, Zeinab Zaremohzzabieh, Yuqin Jiang, Sumei Wu and Ye Chen
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Lyuci Zhang: Department of Education and Music, Hezhou University, Hezhou 542899, China
Samsilah Roslan: Department of Foundations of Education, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
Zeinab Zaremohzzabieh: Department of Foundations of Education, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
Yuqin Jiang: Department of Education and Music, Hezhou University, Hezhou 542899, China
Sumei Wu: Department of Education, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China
Ye Chen: Mental Health and Education Counselling Center, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Liuzhou 545006, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: Background: Several previous studies have revealed a negative impact of perceived stress on post-stress growth. Nevertheless, the potential mediating and moderating mechanisms are unclear, particularly for left-behind children in China. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the negative relationship between perceived stress and post-stress growth, the mediating effect of social support, as well as the moderating effect of emotional intelligence in a sample of Chinese left-behind children. Methods: A sample of 837 Chinese students in elementary and middle school was collected for this study. The Perceived Stress Scale, the Social Support Scale, the Emotional Intelligence Scale, and the Post-Stress Growth Scale were employed to examine them. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 software. Results: The results indicate a significant negative association between perceived stress and post-stress growth. Among perceived stress and social support, the former acted as a mediator, while the latter as a moderator. This study sheds light on the post-stress growth of Chinese left-behind children. The findings validated a model of moderated mediation that shows the relationship between perceived stress, emotional intelligence, social support, and post-stress growth. Conclusion: This study confirmed that social support is one of the most important factors among left-behind children, from perceived stress to post-stress growth. Furthermore, the study reveals that emotional intelligence can adjust the relationship between perceived stress and social support to post-stress growth. Therefore, for both family education and school education, the result provides a new direction.

Keywords: left-behind children; perceived stress; post-stress growth; social support; emotional intelligence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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