Peer Victimization, Maternal Control, And Adjustment Problems Among Left-Behind Adolescents From Father-Migrant/Mother Caregiver Families

Overview

Journal Psychol Res Behav Manag

Publisher Dove Medical Press

Specialty Social Sciences

Date 2019 Oct 22

PMID 31632167

Citations 3

Authors

Yuke Xiong

Hui Wang

Quanquan Wang

Xia Liu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Left-behind adolescents who are from father-migrant/mother caregiver families have become the main type of left-behind children in China. The migratory of fathers not only makes left-behind adolescents suffer more difficulties but also causes left-behind women to face the challenge of raising the child alone. This study examined the association among peer victimization, maternal psychological control, and adjustment problems among Chinese rural left-behind adolescents. Furthermore, we first explored the moderating role of maternal behavioral control in this relationship.

Methods: Using cross-sectional design, we recruited 194 left-behind adolescents (49% girls; mean age = 13.51, = 1.03) from four junior schools in the Guizhou province of China. Left-behind adolescents completed a battery of self-report questionnaires regarding peer victimization, maternal control, self-injury behaviors, depression, and loneliness.

Results: The hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that both peer victimization and maternal psychological control were positively associated with self-injury behaviors, depression, and loneliness. Moreover, maternal behavioral control played a dual role in the impact of peer victimization on self-injury behaviors depending on the levels of maternal psychological control. When left-behind women exerted high psychological control on their children, maternal behavioral control buffered the negative effect of peer victimization on self-injury behaviors. However, when left-behind women exerted low psychological control on their children, maternal behavioral control exacerbated the negative effect of peer victimization on self-injury behaviors.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that the effectiveness of behavioral control may depend on different situations, left-behind women should be cautious in exerting behavioral control over their children.

Citing Articles

Association of the previous experience of maternal migration absence with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in their school-aged children: a cross-sectional study in Anhui, China.

Akezhuoli H, Guo S, Zhao H, Xu J, Xie Q, Zhou X BMC Public Health. 2024; 24(1):3467.

PMID: 39696099 PMC: 11657803. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-20985-w.

Perceived parental rearing styles and depression in Chinese adolescents: the mediating role of self-compassion.

Ren Y, Zhang S, Huang C, Zhang J, Jiang T, Fang Y Front Psychiatry. 2024; 15:1417355.

PMID: 39364381 PMC: 11446764. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1417355.

The Relationship between Parent-Offspring Communication and the School Adaptation of Leftover Children in Overseas Countries: The Mediating Role of Companionship and the Moderating Role of a Sense of Safety.

Zhang H, Shen B, Deng C, Lyu X Behav Sci (Basel). 2023; 13(7).

PMID: 37504004 PMC: 10376706. DOI: 10.3390/bs13070557.

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