Cumulative risk and problem behaviors among Chinese left-behind children: A moderated mediation model

Abstract

The problem behaviors exhibited by left-behind children occur within multiple contexts, and are influenced by cumulative risk, including family, peer, and school characteristics; however, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying the relationship between such problem behaviors and cumulative risk. A total of 1,313 Chinese left-behind children were recruited to complete anonymous questionnaires measuring cumulative risk, deviant peer affiliation, effortful control, and delinquent behavior. After controlling demographic covariates, cumulative risk is positively associated with problem behaviors. Furthermore, deviant peer affiliation was found to partially mediate the association between cumulative risk and problem behaviors. Both the direct association between cumulative risk and delinquent behaviors and the indirect effect of deviant peer affiliation were moderated by effortful control, specifically; the effects were stronger for left-behind children with low levels of effortful control. These results highlight the significance of the cumulative ecological model for understanding and developing intervention programs to reduce left-behind children's problem behaviors.

Cumulative Ecological Risk and Problem Behaviors Among Adolescents in Secondary Vocational Schools: The Mediating Roles of Core Self-Evaluation and Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction

“…Adolescents who were chronically exposed to cumulative ecological risk were more likely to engage in problem behaviors that hamper their normal lives, such as depression, anxiety, and aggression ( 17 ). This validated the cumulative risk model ( 10 , 12 ).…”

“…First, cumulative ecological risk negatively predicted basic psychological need satisfaction. One possible explanation is that the cumulative risk factors basically mirror the shortage of supportive and irreplaceable growth resources essential to immature youths ( 12 ), so as to reduce psychological need satisfaction. Second, problem behaviors feed on unfulfilled psychological needs: failure to satisfy those needs triggers further problem behaviors.…”

“…It may have an unfavorable influence over individual development ( 10 ). According to the Cumulative Risk Model, such risk factors do not operate independently in exerting harmful influences on adolescent behaviors; the behaviors are shaped by a synergistic effect from multiple interrelated factors ( 10 , 12 ). Furthermore, empirical research has proved that the overlapping and amassing of ecological risk is one of the most important factors which could influence internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors ( 13 ).…”

Food insecurity and school performance among the left-behind children in rural China: Depression and educational expectation as mediators

“…The rising social and economic inequalities and population mobility are increasing the risks of food insecurity for children in these countries (Cortes, 2015; Wickramage et al., 2015). In this context, left-behind children are more vulnerable in food security compared with their non-left-behind counterparts (Cortes, 2015; Lei et al., 2019). The absence of parents could increase the incidence of insufficient consumption of food and intake of unhealthy food among children, which is especially true in rural areas (Lu et al., 2016).…”

“…An enormous body of literature reports the vulnerabilities of Chinese rural left-behind children. Compared with rural non-left-behind children and urban children in China, they are more likely to be affected by food insecurity and malnutrition, mainly due to economic hardship and improper family care (Lei et al., 2019; Sun et al., 2015). Moreover, they have higher prevalence of mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety (Cheng & Sun, 2015).…”