Research On Social Work Practices For Alleviating The Sense Of Loneliness Among Left-behind Children In Rural Areas

With the development of the economy and society,a large number of young rural laborers have migrated to cities,resulting in the emergence of the phenomenon of left-behind children.Left-behind children cannot receive the care and guidance of their parents due to long-term separation from them,which can lead to negative emotional experiences such as loneliness.Higher levels of loneliness can cause psychological distress and lower life satisfaction in left-behind children.If effective intervention and treatment measures are not taken,their loneliness can persist for a long time and affect their normal development.As they grow older,the effect of intervention on loneliness will greatly decrease,making it urgent and necessary to intervene in the loneliness of left-behind children.Social work,as a discipline that aims to help people help themselves,should play a unique role in helping left-behind children alleviate their loneliness.In this study,left-behind children in S town,J city,Hubei province,were selected as the research subjects,and investigations were carried out through participant observation,questionnaire surveys(using the Children’s Loneliness Scale),and interviews.The study found that the level of loneliness among left-behind children in S town was generally higher than that among non-left-behind children.Rural left-behind children experience poor social emotions,low levels of peer integration,and a lack of sense of belonging.Based on the ecological system theory,the author analyzed the causes of loneliness in left-behind children from four levels: individual,family,school and community,and society.Drawing on the social need theory and cognitive processing theory,the author proposed interventions for alleviating loneliness in rural left-behind children,including enhancing self-awareness,discovering personal strengths,improving communication skills and interpersonal confidence,building support networks,and dissipating negative emotions.A comprehensive and integrated approach was used,with group work followed by individual case work.In the group work stage,a group was formed consisting of seven rural left-behind children with high levels of loneliness,and one left-behind child with a lower level of loneliness was selected as a group member.The group was named "Best Friends" and aimed to alleviate loneliness in rural left-behind children.On the one hand,group members provided each other with experiences and insights on how to alleviate loneliness,and on the other hand,the positive social performance of the selected group member helped to create a positive group atmosphere and facilitate group activities.After the group work ended,the effectiveness of the group work was evaluated,and it was found that group work intervention significantly alleviated loneliness in rural left-behind children,although the intervention effect for some individual group members was limited.During the individual case work stage,targeted measures were taken for the specific situation of the selected group member,including interventions in the family and peer systems of the service object,effectively improving their feelings of loneliness and negative emotions.Compared to a single intervention method,the combination of group work and individual case work showed significant advantages in alleviating the problem of loneliness in left-behind children,with the focus of group work and the comprehensiveness of individual case work combined.After the practical work ended,the effectiveness of the intervention in alleviating the loneliness of rural left-behind children was evaluated through pre-and post-tests.It was found that the comprehensive intervention strategy of continuing group work with individual case work could effectively alleviate the loneliness of left-behind children,improve their social support systems,eliminate negative emotions,and cultivate positive and healthy attitudes.