Effects of Parental Migration on Mental Health of Left‐behind Children: Evidence from Northwestern China

Abstract

China's rapid development and urbanization have induced large numbers of ruralresidents to migrate from their homes in the countryside to urban areas in search of higher wages. It is estimated that there are more than 60 million "left-behind children" (LBC) remaining in the countryside after their parents migrate, typically living with surrogate caregivers. Extensive research has focused on the impact of parental outmigration on children's mental health, but less attention has been paid to the effects of parental return-migration. The present paper examines the changes in mental health before and after the parents of fourth and fifth grade students out-migrate or return-migrate. We draw on a panel dataset collected by the authors of more than 19 000 students from 252 rural primary schools in northwestern China. Using DID and propensity score matching approaches, our results indicate that parental out-migration has a signifi cant negative impact on the mental health of LBC, as they tend to exhibit higher levels of anxiety and lower levels of self-esteem. However, we fi nd that parental return-migration has no signifi cant effect on the mental health of LBC.Province and Yulin Prefecture, Shaanxi Province. Gansu Province is the second poorest province in the country (with a per capita GDP of $3100), while Shaanxi ranked 14th among China's 31 administration regions in 2012 (per capita GDP of $6108). Tianshui Prefecture is a prefecture with a large number of poor counties in one of China's poorest provinces. In contrast, Yulin Prefecture is a relatively affl uent area in a middle-income province. Together, we believe these two prefectures remain broadly representative of the rural areas in China's northwest region.

Live like mosquitoes: Hukou, rural–urban disparity, and depression

“…For instance, using data collected in Beijing in , Lin et al (2011 found that both the experience of discrimination and perceived social inequity were strongly associated with mental illness among rural migrants. Drawing on a panel dataset of more than 19,000 students from 252 rural primary schools in northwestern China, Shi et al (2016) reported a significant and negative association between parental out-migration and the mental health of left-behind children in rural China. Similarly, a different study by Lu et al (2012) also suggested that adults in rural households with out-migrants are at a higher risk of depression than those in households without out-migrants, despite the fact that monetary remittances can compensate for the mental cost of out-migration.…”

The impact of parental labour migration on left‐behind children's educational and psychosocial outcomes: Evidence from Romania

“…A number of studies investigate the empirical correlation between migration and mental health outcomes of children. These papers provide evidence that children left‐behind are more prone to depression, anxiety, and other emotional and mental health problems, in response to the migration of their parents (Graham & Jordan, ; Shi et al., ; Wang et al., ; Zhao et al., ; Zhou et al., ), with children of migrant mothers most affected (Hewage, Bohlin, Wijewardena, & Lindmark, ). Closely related, some studies indicate that children living in migrant families are significantly more likely to have behavioural problems compared with those from nonmigrant households (Vanore et al., ; Wickramage et al., ).…”

Migration, Schooling Choice, and Student Outcomes in China

“…; Shi et al. ). In our migrant sample, most children in Shanghai and Suzhou were living with both parents, regardless of whether we look at all migrants (from dataset 1, rows 1 and 2), all migrants from Anhui (from dataset 2, rows 3 and 4), or all migrants from the three core study areas in Anhui (from dataset 3, rows 5 and 6).…”

“…; Shi et al. ). A higher score (which ranges from 0 to 15) indicates higher earning anxiety and a possible need for professional help.…”