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Quality of Life Research
Gepubliceerd in: Quality of Life Research 4/2018

17-01-2018

Parent–child separation: the relationship between separation and psychological adjustment among Chinese rural children

Auteurs: Wenjian Xu, Ni Yan, Gang Chen, Xing Zhang, Tingyong Feng

Gepubliceerd in: Quality of Life Research | Uitgave 4/2018

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Abstract

Purpose

The current study aimed to explore the characteristics of psychological adjustment among Chinese left-behind children (LBC) in rural areas, and to examine the association between separation duration from parent/parents (SDP) and children’s psychological adjustment and the extent to which personality mediates this hypothesized link.

Methods

We surveyed 534 rural children and adolescents aged 10–17 years at school (440 LBC and 94 non-LBC) in 2013, who were selected for participation using stratified cluster sampling from two counties in Chongqing, China. Measures used included socio-demographic variables, age at the commencement and end of the separation from parents, the revised Chinese Juvenile Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and the Adolescent Psychological Adaptability Scale.

Results

Most children (82.4%) had experienced separation from parents. t test results showed a marginally significant difference (p = .08) in psychological adjustment between LBC (mean = 64.44, SD = 8.62) and non-LBC (mean = 66.16, SD = 9.26). LBC’s mean SDP was 5.64 years (SD = 3.90). Correlation analysis showed that children’s SDP was negatively associated with psychological adjustment. Structural equation modeling showed that neuroticism, but not extraversion or psychoticism, fully mediated the link between children’s SDP and psychological adjustment.

Conclusion

Personality (neuroticism) is one of the mediating pathways through which long-term SDP may predict poor psychological adjustment among children. Given the detrimental impact of long-term SDP, interventions should target the mediating pathway to buffer against the negative impact of parental separation on the affected rural children and to improve their mental health.
vorige artikel Association between secondhand smoke exposure and quality of life in pregnant women and postpartum women and the consequences on the newborns
volgende artikel Mental health-related quality of life and the timing of motherhood: a 16-year longitudinal study of a national cohort of young Australian women
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Metagegevens
Titel
Parent–child separation: the relationship between separation and psychological adjustment among Chinese rural children
Auteurs
Wenjian Xu
Ni Yan
Gang Chen
Xing Zhang
Tingyong Feng
Publicatiedatum
17-01-2018
Uitgeverij
Springer International Publishing
Gepubliceerd in
Quality of Life Research / Uitgave 4/2018
Print ISSN: 0962-9343
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-2649
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-017-1776-1

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