Li Mengru, Pu Yongming, Xu Bing, Wu Shuang
College of Teachers, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610101, China.
Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1023, New Zealand.
Heliyon. 2023 Sep 14;9(9):e20169. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20169. eCollection 2023 Sep.
Millions of ethnic children in China live without their parents due to financial constraints and the lure of job opportunities elsewhere, staying in their hometowns primarily for education. Yet, current research inadequately addresses the mental health status of these left-behind children from ethnic minority communities in China. This study aimed to explore the effects of the combined identities-ethnic and left-behind-on depression among children in rural ethnic minority areas. We recruited a sample of 1131 children aged 12 to 16 from the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (also known as Ganzi Prefecture) in Sichuan Province. The Children's Depression Inventory was employed to assess depression levels. Results indicated that left-behind children in this region exhibited significantly higher depression levels than their counterparts who lived with their parents. Notably, children of Han ethnicity were more depressed than other ethnic groups. However, no interactive effects were observed between the dual identity factors. Intriguingly, Han children, despite being the majority ethnicity in China, perceived themselves as ethnic minorities in these areas. Their self-perception of ethnic pressure and differences, coupled with a potential lack of acceptance of their ethnic differences from the native minorities, might be subdued. This study underscores that parental relocation poses a risk to the mental health of adolescents in rural China. While policies and programs supporting left-behind children are crucial, further research is imperative to comprehend the nuances of their experiences fully.
在中国，数以百万计的少数民族儿童由于经济拮据以及其他地方工作机会的吸引而与父母分离，他们留在故乡主要是为了接受教育。然而，目前的研究并未充分关注中国少数民族社区这些留守儿童的心理健康状况。本研究旨在探讨少数民族农村地区儿童的少数民族身份和留守儿童身份这两种身份的叠加对抑郁的影响。我们从四川省甘孜藏族自治州招募了1131名年龄在12至16岁的儿童作为样本。采用儿童抑郁量表来评估抑郁水平。结果表明，该地区留守儿童的抑郁水平显著高于与父母同住的儿童。值得注意的是，汉族儿童比其他民族儿童的抑郁程度更高。然而，在这两种身份因素之间未观察到交互作用。有趣的是，汉族儿童尽管在中国是主要民族，但在这些地区他们将自己视为少数民族。他们对民族压力和差异的自我认知，再加上可能不被当地少数民族接受其民族差异，这种情况可能会被抑制。本研究强调，父母外出务工对中国农村青少年的心理健康构成风险。虽然支持留守儿童的政策和项目至关重要，但必须进行进一步研究以全面理解他们经历的细微差别。
