| Background:Along with the transformation and upgrading of economic society, the number of the rural left-behind children in China has been growing rapidly. Because of the lack of long-term care from parents and the low living conditions, the rural left-behind children are usually faced with many difficulties and problems in their lives and learning and growth process. Since the rural left-behind children are often in an important and critical step in the formation of outlook on life, world view and value, such living status might lead to many social problems. Nowadays, as a special social group, the survival situation of the rural left-behind children have increasingly become the focus of the community and news media, and the investigation on the metal health status of these children especially become an important research topic.Objective:In this article, we analyzed the relations between the metal health of rural left-behind children and the situation of parents' migrant work, explore the influence factors affecting the psychological health status of the rural left-behind children, and provide the evidence for the efficient policy-making that improves the mental health of these special children in the future.Methods:This study randomly selected six cities (Hefei, Wuhu, Bengbu, Huangshan, Tongling, and Xuancheng city) of Anhui Province as the research sites, since Anhui is one of the large labor-exporting provinces in China. By using the method of cluster sampling, we randomly selected 1 town from each city, so totally 6 towns were analyzed. Then, from each town,3 villages with good, average and poor economic levels were further randomly selected. As a result,18 villages constitute the sample sites. In these villages, the left-behind children aged 10-14 years were asked to conduct a questionnaire survey. The self-designed questionnaire mainly aims to investigate the health status of these children, with variables including gender, age, grade, economical status, the status of parents' go-out work, number of siblings, the guardian, learning achievement, smoking behavior, drinking behavior, prevalence, mental health and social support etc. The variables were then statistically tested by the descriptive statistical analysis, chi square test, variance analysis and logistic regression analysis.Results:This study investigated 1363 rural children as analysis samples. With gender as the variable, the children include 765 males, accounting for 56.1% of the total, and 598 females, accounting for 43.9% of all the samples. With school grade as the variable, the children include 1038 primary school students, accounting for 76.2% of the total, and 325 junior middle school students, accounted for 23.8% of the total. With sibling as the variable, there are 677 children from only-child family, accounting for 49.7% of the total, and the others (50.3%) are the non-only children in their family. With education degree of guardian as the variable,576 guardians of the left-behind children have primary-school education degree and below, accounting for 42.3% of the total people; 476 guardians have achieved junior-middle-school or high-school education level, accounting for 34.9% of the total; 311 guardians have college education degree or above, accounted for 22.8% of the total. The guardians are mainly the children's grandparents, who are mostly at a low education level. In the rural left-behind children, the proportion of mental health self-assessment grade for good, average and poor is 46.3%,38.8% and 14.9% respectively. The length of left-behind period more than half a year is up to 53.3% of the total rural left-behind children. The communication frequency of the rural left-behind children with their parents is 53.3% for once a week 1,20.9% for once a day,18.7% for once a month, and 15% for seldom contact, respectively.By comparing the rural left-behind children with normal un-left-behind children, there are no statistical differences in gender, one-child or not, and self-reported grades (t=0.001, p>0.05; t=3.85, p>0.05;?~2=0.57, p>0.05). However, there is statistical 1significance in area, grade, guardian, level of education, etc.(?~2= 113.50, p<0.01; t=9.31,p<0.01;?~2=164.27,p<0.01). The differences in smoking, self-induction health status (good, average, or bad), illness in recent four weeks show statistical significance between the two groups of children (?~2=13.93, p<0.01;?~2=19.01,p<0.01; ?~2=10.01, p<0.01). In addition, in terms of drinking status, there is no statistically significant difference between the two groups (?~2=3.54,p>0.05).The K10 score of mental health of the rural left-behind children have no statistically significant differences between different gender group and between different grade groups (t=1.59, p>0.05; t=1.41, p>0.05). However, the klO score is found showing significant differences between areas and between only-child and non-only child groups (F=12.05,p<0.01; F=5.91,p<0.01). Additionally, statistically significant differences in the K10 score of mental health of the children are also found in the categories of smoking, drinking and illness in recent four weeks (t=2.65, p<0.01; t=2.53,p<0.05; t=4.24,p<0.01). According to the self-reported health status, the rural left-behind children samples were divided into good, average and poor groups. Between each two groups, there is no significant difference in the K10 score of mental health (F=21.38,p<0.01).Single-factor analysis shows that the parents go-out status has influenced the left-behind children, resulting in statistically significant difference in the K10 score (F=19.98,p<0.01). Multivariate analysis shows that, the family with father going out, the family with parents all going out, the only child, poor self-reported health status, and average or poor self-reported score, are all related to the K10 score of the rural children's mental health (p<0.01)The different groups in the rural left-behind children, including grade, age, only or non-only child, self-reported score, self-reported health status, illness in recent four weeks, the length of left-behind period, communication frequency with parents, and go-home frequency of parents, show statistical difference in the k10 score of mental health of these rural left-behind children(t=-2.815, p<0.05; t=-2.14, p<0.05; t=-5.95, p<0.05; F=-2S.36, p<0.05; F=-14.08, p<0.05; F=-3.57, p<0.05; F=-3.75, p<0.05; F=-9.15, p<0.01; F=-8.47, p<0.01). Multivariate analysis discovers that the amount of siblings, self-reported score, self-reported health status, and communication frequency with parents, are related to the k10 score of mental health of rural left-behind children (p<0.01)Conclusion:According to the above, the status of parents who went out to work has influenced the meant health of rural left-behind children. Their mental health status is significantly worse than that of un-left-behind peers. The number of siblings, self-reported scores, self-reported health status, communication frequency with parents are found as the risk factors that exert impact upon the rural left behind children's psychological health.Our study suggests that, the government, society, schools and families should strengthen the top-level design and build a variety of pathways, for further improving the environment and condition for the growth of left-behind children. What's more, it's important to play the main role of the rural left-behind children in the process of promoting their mental health growth. |
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