Emotional and Behavioral Problems of Left-Behind Children in Impoverished Rural China:A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study of First Grade Junior High School

Objective:To investigate the prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems and related factors of left-behind children in impoverished rural China(mainly in thefirst grade of junior high school).Methods:A cross-sectional survey of rural households in 27 poverty-stricken counties in 12 provinces across China was conducted using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire(SDQ).Results:The prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems in left-behind children was 11.7%,and that of non-left-behind children was 8.9%.There was statistical difference between the two groups(P<0.01).There are no differences between the two groups in terms of the various factors of SDQ.The incidence of insomnia in the left-behind group was 58.3%,which was higher than that in the non-left-behind group 50.9%(P<0.01);loneliness(62.1%vs.51.8%,P<0.01);running away from home(23.1%vs.18.8%,P<0.01),and self-injury behavior(16.8%vs.12.2%,P<0.01).Left-behind children are more likely to have negative psychological feelings including insomnia,loneliness,self-injury,and run away from home.They also experienced more bullying including maliciously teased by peers,intentionally excluded or isolated,physically threatened or intimidated.All of these factors are associated with their abnormal emotional and behavioural development.Conclusion:The incidence of emotional and behavioral problems of left-behind children in rural areas in poverty-stricken areas is significantly higher than that of non-left-behind children;Logistic regression analysis showed that bullying behavior and abnormal psychological characteristics are significantly associated with left-behind adolescents abnormal emotional and behavioral development.

Effects of parental empathy and emotion regulation on social competence and emotional/behavioral problems of school‐age children

Importance Parents take the lead in parent–child interactions and their emotion regulation ability and empathy during parenting may be associated with children’s emotional/behavioral problems.However,the specific mechanisms underlying these associations remain unclear.Objective The present study aimed to explore the effect of parental empathy and emotional regulation on social competence and emotional/behavioral problems in school‐age children.Methods A questionnaire‐based survey was conducted with 274 parents of 8–11‐year‐old children using Achenbach’s Child Behavior Checklist,the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire,and the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy.Results Children with emotional/behavioral problems(n=37)had relatively lower social competence than children in a matched control group(n=37).Compared with the parents of children in the control group,parents of children with emotional/behavioral problems had significantly lower cognitive empathy scores,mainly manifested by low perspective‐taking and online simulation abilities.Mediation analysis showed that parental cognitive empathy had an indirect effect on children’s emotional/behavioral problems through children’s social competence.Interpretation Parental empathy may have a subtle influence on the social competence of school‐aged children,which further affects the severity of children’s emotional/behavioral problems.