IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i19p7218-d423030.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Community-Based Intervention to Improve the Well-Being of Children Left Behind by Migrant Parents in Rural China

Author

Listed:
  • Minmin Jiang

    (Department of Social Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Lu Li

    (Department of Social Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Wei Xing Zhu

    (Department of Social Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Therese Hesketh

    (Centre for Global Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
    UCL Institute for Global Health, 30 Guilford Str., London WC1N1EH, UK)

Abstract

In rural China around 60 million left-behind children (LBC) experience prolonged separation from migrant worker parents. They are vulnerable to a range of psychosocial problems. The aim of this study was to determine whether a community-based intervention consisting of Children’s Centres can improve psychosocial well-being and school performance of these children. The intervention was carried out in 20 villages, for children aged 7 to 15 years, irrespective of left-behind status. Nine hundred and twenty children, 438 LBC and 256 children living with parents (RC) attended the Centres. At follow-up after one year, there were improvements compared to baseline in total difficulties (measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) in children left behind by both parents ( p = 0.009), children left behind by one parent ( p = 0.008) and RC ( p = 0.05). Postintervention school performance significantly improved in both categories of LBC ( p < 0.001), but not RC ( p = 0.07); social support score increased in both categories of LBC ( p < 0.001) and RC ( p = 0.01). Findings from interviews with key stakeholders were overwhelmingly positive about the impacts. With strong local leadership and community motivation, a low-cost intervention can improve children’s psychosocial well-being in these settings. Allowing communities to adapt the model to their own situation fosters local ownership, commitment, with benefits for children, parents, carers, and communities.

Suggested Citation

  • Minmin Jiang & Lu Li & Wei Xing Zhu & Therese Hesketh, 2020. "Community-Based Intervention to Improve the Well-Being of Children Left Behind by Migrant Parents in Rural China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-11, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:19:p:7218-:d:423030
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/19/7218/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/19/7218/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lian Tong & Qiong Yan & Ichiro Kawachi, 2019. "The factors associated with being left-behind children in China: Multilevel analysis with nationally representative data," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, November.
    2. Zhao, Chenyue & Zhou, Xudong & Wang, Feng & Jiang, Minmin & Hesketh, Therese, 2017. "Care for left-behind children in rural China: A realist evaluation of a community-based intervention," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 239-245.
    3. Brown, Philip H. & Park, Albert, 2002. "Education and poverty in rural China," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 523-541, December.
    4. James J. Heckman & Dimitriy V. Masterov, 2007. "The Productivity Argument for Investing in Young Children," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 29(3), pages 446-493.
    5. McLeroy, K.R. & Norton, B.L. & Kegler, M.C. & Burdine, J.N. & Sumaya, C.V., 2003. "Community-based interventions," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(4), pages 529-533.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Huan Wang & Cody Abbey & Xinshu She & Scott Rozelle & Xiaochen Ma, 2021. "Association of Child Mental Health with Child and Family Characteristics in Rural China: A Cross-Sectional Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-16, May.
    2. Nelsensius Klau Fauk & Alfonsa Liquory Seran & Paul Aylward & Lillian Mwanri & Paul Russell Ward, 2024. "Parental Migration and the Social and Mental Well-Being Challenges among Indonesian Left-Behind Children: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(6), pages 1-15, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xinxin Wang & Shidan Xu & Yubo Zhuo & Julian Chun-Chung Chow, 2023. "Higher Income but Lower Happiness with Left-Behind Experience? A Study of Long-Term Effects for China’s Migrants," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 411-434, February.
    2. Tahir Andrabi & Jishnu Das & Asim Ijaz Khwaja & Tristan Zajonc, 2011. "Do Value-Added Estimates Add Value? Accounting for Learning Dynamics," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 3(3), pages 29-54, July.
    3. Dinand Webbink & Sunčica Vujić & Pierre Koning & Nicholas G. Martin, 2012. "The Effect Of Childhood Conduct Disorder On Human Capital," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(8), pages 928-945, August.
    4. Michael Marmot & Ruth Bell & Angela Donkin, 2013. "Tackling Structural and Social Issues to Reduce Inequities in Children’s Outcomes in Low- to Middle-income Countries," Papers indipa708, Innocenti Discussion Papers.
    5. Lex Borghans & Angela Lee Duckworth & James J. Heckman & Bas ter Weel, 2008. "The Economics and Psychology of Personality Traits," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 43(4).
    6. Elad DeMalach & Analia Schlosser, 2024. "Short- and Long-Term Effects of Universal Preschool: Evidence from the Arab Population in Israel," CESifo Working Paper Series 10904, CESifo.
    7. Kasim Allel & Gerard Abou Jaoude & Stavros Poupakis & Neha Batura & Jolene Skordis & Hassan Haghparast-Bidgoli, 2021. "Exploring the Associations between Early Childhood Development Outcomes and Ecological Country-Level Factors across Low- and Middle-Income Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-15, March.
    8. Maclean, Johanna Catherine & Popovici, Ioana & French, Michael T., 2016. "Are natural disasters in early childhood associated with mental health and substance use disorders as an adult?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 78-91.
    9. Apps, Patricia & Mendolia, Silvia & Walker, Ian, 2013. "The impact of pre-school on adolescents’ outcomes: Evidence from a recent English cohort," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 183-199.
    10. Takuya Obara & Yoshitomo Ogawa, 2024. "Optimal taxation in an endogenous fertility model with non-cooperative behavior," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 173-197, March.
    11. Youqin Huang & Zai Liang & Qian Song & Ran Tao, 2020. "Family Arrangements and Children's Education Among Migrants: A Case Study of China," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(3), pages 484-504, May.
    12. Fujii, Tomoki & Shonchoy, Abu S. & Xu, Sijia, 2018. "Impact of Electrification on Children’s Nutritional Status in Rural Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 315-330.
    13. Okuneye Babatunde A & Obasan Kehinde A, 2014. "Determinants of Demand for Primary Education in Nigeria," International Journal of Economics and Empirical Research (IJEER), The Economics and Social Development Organization (TESDO), vol. 2(2), pages 44-51, February.
    14. Lauber, Verena & Thomas, Lampert, 2014. "The Effect of Early Universal Daycare on Child Weight Problems," VfS Annual Conference 2014 (Hamburg): Evidence-based Economic Policy 100399, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    15. Alan de Brauw & John Giles, 2017. "Migrant Opportunity and the Educational Attainment of Youth in Rural China," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 52(1), pages 272-311.
    16. Shuang Chen, 2020. "Parental Investment After the Birth of a Sibling: The Effect of Family Size in Low-Fertility China," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(6), pages 2085-2111, December.
    17. World Bank, 2017. "Pre-Primary Education in Mongolia," World Bank Publications - Reports 26402, The World Bank Group.
    18. Bénédicte de la Brière & Deon Filmer & Dena Ringold & Dominic Rohner & Karelle Samuda & Anastasiya Denisova, 2017. "From Mines and Wells to Well-Built Minds," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 26490.
    19. Nabanita Datta Gupta & Marianne Simonsen, 2010. "Effects of Universal Child Care Participation on Pre-teen Skills and Risky Behaviors," Economics Working Papers 2010-07, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    20. Dinand Webbink & Pierre Koning & Sunčica Vujić & Nicholas G. Martin, 2013. "Why Are Criminals Less Educated than Non-Criminals? Evidence from a Cohort of Young Australian Twins," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 29(1), pages 115-144, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:19:p:7218-:d:423030. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.