A Pilot Study on the Psychosocial Health and Living Quality of Left-Behind Children in a Remote City of China

Purpose: With the rapid economic development, China has undergone a large-scale migration, with many children left behind due to parental migration for better income. Little is known about the psychosocial health and living quality of the Chinese left-behind children (LBC) in remote cities, so this study aims at investigating the emotional and behavioral problems as well as the living qualities of LBC in remote cities of China. Methods: In this pilot cross-sectional study, 45 schoolchildren (10–12 years old) from Guiyang, a remote city in China, were enrolled in the sampling. The Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Quality of Life Scale for Children and Adolescents (QLSCA) were used to evaluate the psychosocial health and living quality. The differences between LBC and control children and correlation factors were analyzed in this study. Results: LBC had a statistically significantly higher score in SDQ than in the control group with p-values that were all <0.01. The prosocial score in LBC was significantly lower than that of the control children (p<0.01). The scores on QLSCA were significantly lower for the LBC than for their counterparts (p<0.01). The emotional and behavioral problems (SDQ scores) and the living quality (QLSCA scores) are highly correlated. Conclusion: This preliminary study identified the severity of the psychosocial problem and the lower living quality with LBC in the remote city of China. This problem may relate to the lower education level of their caregivers. The LBC in remote cities of China need more psychosocial and educational support from schools and communities.