IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i12p6989-d833509.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Impact of Parent–Child Attachment on School Adjustment in Left-behind Children Due to Transnational Parenting: The Mediating Role of Peer Relationships

Author

Listed:
  • Huilan Zhang

    (School of Education, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China)

  • Chunkao Deng

    (School of Education, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China)

Abstract

In China’s eastern coastal areas, the transnational parenting of left-behind children creates a distinct form of left-behind child. Previous research has indicated that children who have been left behind have a low degree of school adjustment. The major purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of parent–child attachment on school adjustment in children left behind by migrant parents, as well as the mediating role of peer relationships in this process. The parent–child attachment section of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), the Adaptation subscale of the Adolescent Mental Health Quality Questionnaire—Chinese Version (AMHQQ-C), and the Student Peer Relationship Scale (SPRC) were used to survey 405 left-behind children in grades 3–6 of seven elementary schools in the hometowns of overseas Chinese parents from Zhejiang Province. It was discovered that, compared to non-left-behind children, left-behind children showed lower levels of parent–child attachment and school adjustment, while peer relationships appeared polarized. In addition, parent–child attachment and peer relationships considerably predicted the level of school adjustment in children left behind due to transnational parenting. More importantly, the mediation analysis revealed a partial mediating effect of peer relationships on the linkages between parent–child attachment and school adjustment among children who were left behind in transnational foster care.

Suggested Citation

  • Huilan Zhang & Chunkao Deng, 2022. "The Impact of Parent–Child Attachment on School Adjustment in Left-behind Children Due to Transnational Parenting: The Mediating Role of Peer Relationships," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-10, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:12:p:6989-:d:833509
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/12/6989/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/12/6989/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chad Meyerhoefer & C. Chen, 2011. "The effect of parental labor migration on children’s educational progress in rural china," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 9(3), pages 379-396, September.
    2. Feng Wang & Leesa Lin & Mingming Xu & Leah Li & Jingjing Lu & Xudong Zhou, 2019. "Mental Health among Left-Behind Children in Rural China in Relation to Parent-Child Communication," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-10, May.
    3. Jin, Can Can & Zhao, Bao Bao & Zou, Hong, 2019. "Chinese delinquent and non-delinquent juveniles: An exploration of the relations among interparental intimacy, interparental conflict, filial piety and interpersonal adjustment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 148-155.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. 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.
    2. Peter Simmons & Yuanyuan Xie, 2013. "Where is the grass greener? A micro-founded model of migration with application to Guangdong," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 2(1), pages 1-23, December.
    3. Costanza Biavaschi & Corrado Giulietti & Klaus F. Zimmermann, 2015. "Sibling Influence on the Human Capital of the Left-Behind," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 9(4), pages 403-438.
    4. Lyuci Zhang & Samsilah Roslan & Zeinab Zaremohzzabieh & Yuqin Jiang & Sumei Wu & Ye Chen, 2022. "Perceived Stress, Social Support, Emotional Intelligence, and Post-Stress Growth among Chinese Left-Behind Children: A Moderated Mediation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-13, February.
    5. Pfeiffer, Friedhelm, 2014. "The Impact of Parents Migration on the Well-being of Children Left Behind: Initial Evidence from Romania," IZA Discussion Papers 8225, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Sylvie Démurger & Siwar Khelifa & Béatrice Rey, 2023. "Rural-urban migration as a risk coping strategy: The role of income differentials," IRENE Policy Reports 23-03, IRENE Institute of Economic Research.
    7. Wang, Haining & Zhu, Rong, 2021. "Social spillovers of China’s left-behind children in the classroom," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    8. Sipei Xu & Jia Zhang, 2022. "Do Social Pensions Affect the Physical and Mental Health of Rural Children in China? An Intergenerational Care Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-25, March.
    9. Ai Yue & Yu Bai & Yaojiang Shi & Renfu Luo & Scott Rozelle & Alexis Medina & Sean Sylvia, 2020. "Parental Migration and Early Childhood Development in Rural China," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(2), pages 403-422, April.
    10. Saleemi, Sundus, 2021. "Children in left-behind migrant households: education and gender equality," Discussion Papers 311113, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
    11. Zhao, Qiran & Yu, Xiaohua & Wang, Xiaobing & Glauben, Thomas, 2014. "The impact of parental migration on children's school performance in rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 43-54.
    12. Sylvie Démurger & Hui Xu, 2015. "Left-behind children and return migration in China," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-21, December.
    13. Chunhai Gao & Endale Tadesse & Sabika Khalid, 2022. "Word of Mouth from Left-Behind Children in Rural China: Exploring Their Psychological, Academic and Physical Well-being During COVID-19," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(5), pages 1719-1740, October.
    14. Ruifeng Tan & Huimin Fang & Suiqing Chen, 2023. "The Development of Emotion Understanding among Five- and Six-Year-Old Left-Behind Children in Rural China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-10, February.
    15. Yang, Shuai & Wang, Yan & Lu, Yuan & Zhang, Hanhan & Wang, Feng & Liu, Zhijun, 2023. "Long-term effects of the left-behind experience on health and its mechanisms: Empirical evidence from China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 338(C).
    16. Liu, Han & Ackert, Lucy F. & Chang, Fang & Oyelere, Ruth Uwaifo & Qi, Li & Shi, Yaojiang, 2022. "Childhood trauma among Chinese inmates," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    17. Deng, Lanfang & Tong, Tingting, 2020. "Parenting style and the development of noncognitive ability in children," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    18. 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.
    19. Krisztina Kis-Katos, 2012. "Gender differences in work-schooling decisions in rural North India," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 491-519, December.
    20. Ye Chen & Xinxin Yu & Aini Azeqa Ma’rof & Zeinab Zaremohzzabieh & Haslinda Abdullah & Hanina Halimatusaadiah Hamsan & Lyuci Zhang, 2022. "Social Identity, Core Self-Evaluation, School Adaptation, and Mental Health Problems in Migrant Children in China: A Chain Mediation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-11, December.

    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:19:y:2022:i:12:p:6989-:d:833509. 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.