ArticleInternational journal for equity in health2018
Impact of parental migration on psychosocial well-being of children left behind: a qualitative study in rural China.
Article in International journal for equity in health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 132 citations in OpenAlex.
- Repercussions of the Cross-Border Migration Process on Family Life: Systematic Review with Meta-Synthesis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Pooled it
- A Bibliometric Review of Research on Children and Adolescents' Mental Health Following Parental Migration.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2026Review
- "A chance to open my heart": Protective factors for mental health in left-behind family members of Nepalese labor migrants and their implications for future psychosocial interventions.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Untangling absence: left behind adolescents' interpretive meaning construction of parental migration in Zimbabwe.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2025Article
- Exploring the mental health issues of left-behind children based on propensity score matching: the parallel mediating role of psychological abuse and neglect.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2025Article
- Labor migration in rural Nepal Arghakhanchi communities: impacts on left-behind caregivers and children.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Gender differences in parent-child alienation and its relationship to depressive symptoms in left-behind children: a comparative analysis of undirected and directed networks.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Modeling the influences of climate conditions on measles transmission in China.Epidemiology and infection · 2025Article
- The Impacts of Parental Migration on the Mental and Physical Health, Daily Needs, and Social Lives of Indonesian Caregivers of Left-Behind Children: A Qualitative Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Impact of Family Environment in Rural China on Loneliness, Depression, and Internet Addiction Among Children and Adolescents.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Article
- The impact of left-behind experience on the mental health and marital satisfaction.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- From family emotions to child competence: unpacking parenting stress's dual role as mediator and moderator in rural China.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Beyond Brain Drain: Smart Strategies for Government-Led Nurse Exportation in Ghana.Journal of nursing management · 2025Article
- Depressive symptoms among rural left-behind children and adolescents in China: a large-scale cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Depressive disorders in Chinese left-behind children and adolescents from Yunnan province: prevalence and association with self-harm behaviors.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Article
- Parental Migration and the Social and Mental Well-Being Challenges among Indonesian Left-Behind Children: A Qualitative Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Vulnerable conditions syndemic, depression, and suicidal ideation among school children in China: cross-sectional census findings.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2024Article
- Associations of latent patterns of parent‒child communication with communication quality and mental health outcomes among Chinese left-behind children.BMC public health · 2024Article
- The impact of parental migration patterns, timing, and duration on the health of rural Chinese children.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTens of millions of rural "left-behind children (LBC)" in China grow up experiencing prolonged separation from their migrant worker parents. This study aimed to explore how children are affected by parental migration, from the perspectives of children, parents, and grandparents, focusing on the experiences of prolonged parent-child separation and relationship dynamics in the extended family.
methodsQualitative in-depth interviews were conducted in a migrant-sending rural area of eastern China. Participants included 25 children (aged 7 to 14), 17 parents, and 13 grandparents, from 30 families, as well as 24 key informants from the communities. Data analysis followed a grounded theory approach.
resultsThe results showed that despite the original purpose of benefiting children, parental migration resulted in challenges in child psychosocial well-being, due to the emotional impacts from prolonged parent-child separation. Parental absence also led to inadequate care and support for left-behind children. The negative effects of parental migration may be exacerbated by other vulnerabilities such as parents' divorce, poverty and grandparent caregivers' frailty. Concerns about child well-being made some migrants decide to return home permanently, because of the altered trade-offs of migration.
conclusionProlonged separation following migration often disrupts parent-child relationships and results in psychosocial difficulties in LBC, especially among those who live with multiple adversities in the family. Community-based interventions may help migrant parents and co-resident caregivers to better engage children and promote their resilience.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.