Zhang Xiaoyi, Dai Zhoudao, Antwi Collins Opoku, Ren Jun
Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Application of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China.
School of Education Science, Huangshan University, Huangshan 245041, China.
Children (Basel). 2022 Mar 25;9(4):464. doi: 10.3390/children9040464.
A considerable body of research using the Mental Health Test (MHT) has explored the psychological repercussions of the physical separation of children from one or both parents as they pursue better economic prospects in cities. Generally, these studies compare the mental health status (MHS) between left-behind children (LBC) and non-left-behind children (NLBC). That notwithstanding, little is known about the real policy impact of these studies on the ground over the years. Using a relevant search strategy and selection criteria, we identified qualified studies (N = 102: 2004 to 2019). Cross-temporal meta-analysis (CTMA) was performed on these studies for dynamic trends. Our results demonstrate: (1) a slight but significant change in MHS of both LBC and NLBC, with LBC being significantly worse off over time; (2) a significant deterioration in MHS of LBC over time, particularly among left-behind boys (LBBs); (3) a stable and significant decline in MHS of left-behind junior high and elementary school students, respectively; and (4) a more substantial degradation in MHS of LBC with both parents absent compared with LBC with a parent present. The findings reveal that the efforts of, and collaboration among, researchers, policy experts and politicians are producing results. Nevertheless, more targeted research is needed to unearth the underlying issues that generate the differences among subpopulations of LBC to better inform pragmatic interventions for collective psychological wellness of LBC.
大量使用心理健康测试（MHT）的研究探讨了儿童在城市寻求更好经济前景时与父母一方或双方身体分离所产生的心理影响。一般来说，这些研究比较了留守儿童（LBC）和非留守儿童（NLBC）的心理健康状况（MHS）。尽管如此，多年来这些研究在实际中的政策影响却鲜为人知。我们运用相关检索策略和选择标准，确定了合格研究（N = 102：2004年至2019年）。对这些研究进行了跨期荟萃分析（CTMA）以探究动态趋势。我们的结果表明：（1）留守儿童和非留守儿童的心理健康状况均有轻微但显著的变化，且随着时间推移，留守儿童的状况明显更差；（2）随着时间推移，留守儿童的心理健康状况显著恶化，尤其是留守男孩（LBBs）；（3）留守初中生和小学生的心理健康状况分别呈稳定且显著的下降趋势；（4）与有一方父母陪伴的留守儿童相比，父母双方均不在身边的留守儿童心理健康状况恶化更为严重。研究结果表明，研究人员、政策专家和政治家的努力及合作正在产生成效。然而，仍需要更具针对性的研究来挖掘导致留守儿童亚群体之间存在差异的潜在问题，以便为促进留守儿童群体心理健康的务实干预措施提供更充分的信息。
