The Impact Of Social Support On Left-behind Children’s Mental Health

Left-behind children refer to minors under the age of 16 whose parents have both gone out to work or one parent has gone out to work and the other lacks the ability to provide care.Previous research has found that left-behind children are more likely to face risk factors such as broken parent-child attachment and peer exclusion,leading to certain psychological health problems.Due to differences in measurement indicators of psychological health and neglect of the heterogeneity of left-behind individuals,there has been no consensus on the relationship between social support and the psychological health of left-behind children.Therefore,this study used a dual-factor model of psychological health to measure complete psychological health status,and used a three-level meta-analysis to explore the relationship between social support and the psychological health of left-behind children,as well as the necessity of examining individual-centered perspectives through testing moderating variables.The study also focused on the group differences among leftbehind children through a person-centered approach to reveal the potential types of psychological health and their developmental trajectories,thereby exploring the status and trends of the psychological health of left-behind children.Study 1 used a three-level meta-analysis to systematically explore the relationship between social support and the psychological health of left-behind children,while also examining the moderating effects of gender,grade,and specific indicators.The study included 43 articles with a total of 316 independent samples,including 189 positive indicators and 127 negative indicators,with a total sample size of 162,589 people.The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between social support and positive indicators of the psychological health of leftbehind children(r = 0.32,p < 0.001),and significant moderating effects of gender and specific indicators.There was also a significant negative correlation between social support and negative indicators of the psychological health of left-behind children(r =-0.23,p < 0.001).The differential effect sizes between social support and positive and negative indicators,as well as the significant moderating effects of specific indicators,suggest that the relationship between social support and the psychological health of left-behind children is better explored through an person-centered perspective to take into account the heterogeneity of left-behind children.Study 2 was a cross-sectional study with a larger sample size,using a person-centered approach to reveal the potential subgroups of psychological health and the predictive role of social support.A total of 2,768 left-behind children participated in the survey,including 1,441 boys(52.1%),with an average age of 12.68 ± 2.15 years.The results showed that the left-behind children could be divided into healthy,middle,and problem groups.Social support significantly predicted the subgroup differentiation of the psychological health of left-behind children.The higher the level of social support,the lower the probability that left-behind children would enter the middle and problem groups.In addition,there were significant gender and grade differences in the subgroup differentiation of the psychological health of left-behind children.Study 3 was a follow-up study with two time points one year apart,using a person-centered approach to explore the transformation patterns of the psychological health subtypes of left-behind children and the impact of social support on their psychological health development.A total of1,027 left-behind children participated in both surveys,including 504 boys(49.1%),with an average age of 13.38 ± 1.64 years.The results showed that the psychological health subtypes of left-behind children were consistent at both time points.Category transition analysis showed that the problem group had the highest probability of remaining unchanged from T1 to T2(34%),followed by the healthy group(33%)and the middle group(17%).Among the left-behind children who experienced group transitions,the middle group had the highest probability of transitioning to the healthy group(80%),followed by the healthy group transitioning to the middle group(51%)and the problem group transitioning to the middle group(48%).Social support significantly predicted the transformation of the psychological health subtypes of left-behind children from T1 to T2.The higher the social support level,the lower the probability of left-behind children transitioning between the middle and problem groups,with objective support possibly playing an important role.Gender significantly predicted the transition from the middle group to the problem group,with left-behind girls having a significantly lower probability of transitioning than boys.However,grade did not significantly predict the transition.Through these three studies,this research has demonstrated the stable impact of social support on the psychological health of left-behind children,while also exploring the differences in this relationship based on gender and grade.The results provide empirical evidence for the rational improvement of social support levels and positive guidance for the psychological health of left-behind children.