Accompanying your children: Living without parents at different stages of pre-adulthood and individual physical and mental health in adulthood

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study examined how living without parents at different stages of childhood and adolescence affects physical and mental health in adulthood.MethodsThe data came from 3,464 survey respondents aged 18–36 in the 2018 China Labor-Force Dynamics Survey. Physical health was self-rated. Mental health was measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. The ordered probit and ordinary least-squares regression analyses were employed to determine the associations between growing up without parents at different stages in pre-adulthood and individual physical and mental health in adulthood.ResultsIndividuals who did not live with their parents during their minor years were more likely to report worse physical and mental health in adulthood, compared to those who lived with their parents. This difference was heterogeneous among different age stages and genders.ConclusionsAbsence of parents in the household has long-term impacts on the physical and mental health of children in adulthood, especially for females. The government should make feasible institutional arrangements to avoid the separation of minor children from their parents.

The Long-Time Consequences of Parental Early Left-Behind Event on the Human Capital of Rural Children in China

“…These impacts have mixed positive, negative, or neutral. Speci cally, research has veri ed the in uences on various domains, including educational achievement [1,2], cognitive or noncognitive skills [3][4][5], nutrition and physical health [6,7], along with psychological well-being [8,9]. Meanwhile, the literature has rapidly accumulated substantial evidence that highlights the critical connections between childhood event and a wide array of growth consequences in offspring throughout lives [10,11].…”