Perceived social support as a mediator between left-behind experience and subjective well-being in Chinese college students.

Background: Left-behind experience (LBE), where children are separated from one or both parents due to parental migration for work, has been shown to negatively affect college students' psychological well-being. This study explores the relationship between LBE and subjective well-being (SWB) among college students and investigates whether perceived social support (PSS) mediates this relationship. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1,228 undergraduate students across four Chinese universities. Participants completed the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) and the Subjective Well-Being Scale (SWB). Statistical analyses, including independent t-tests, Pearson correlations, and mediation analysis (using SPSS PROCESS), were performed to test the hypotheses. Results: Students with LBE reported lower levels of both PSS and SWB compared to their non-LBE peers. PSS was found to fully mediate the relationship between LBE and SWB. Specifically, LBE negatively affected PSS, which in turn positively influenced SWB. The direct effect of LBE on SWB was non-significant, highlighting the importance of PSS in this relationship. Conclusions: The study emphasizes that LBE itself does not directly dictate developmental outcomes. Instead, it influences college students through the reduction of perceived social support. These findings suggest that enhancing social support systems in universities and communities can significantly improve the well-being of college students with LBE, and this approach has potential implications beyond the Chinese context.