Positive Development Patterns in Left-Behind Adolescents: Do Resilience and Making Sense of Adversity Have Beneficial Effects?

Abstract

Purpose Despite increased attention to the positive development of left-behind adolescents, research findings remain inconclusive. Utilizing latent profile analysis, we identified various positive development profiles among the left-behind adolescents and explored the association between resilience and positive development profiles, alongside the mediating role of making sense of adversity. Methods A multi-stage cluster sampling procedure was employed, randomly selecting four provinces–Zhejiang, Guangdong, Henan, and Jiangxi–from the central and coastal regions. The sample comprised 718 left-behind adolescents recruited from primary and junior high schools across grades 4, 5, 7, and 8. Three scales were utilized, and analyses included latent profile analysis and mediation analysis. Results Three latent subgroups of positive development among left-behind adolescents were identified: low, moderate, and high. Those with higher resilience and positive perceptions of adversity tended to belong to the high group rather than the low (β = −0.45, p < 0.001; β = −0.09, p < 0.001) or moderate group (β = −0.23, p < 0.001; β = −0.04, p < 0.05). Left-behind adolescents with higher negative perceptions of adversity tended to belong to the high group rather than the moderate group (β = −0.07, p < 0.01). Mediation analysis revealed that resilience facilitated the development of positive appraisals of adversity, subsequently increasing the likelihood of being categorized into the high (95% CI of −0.09 to −0.03) or moderate group (95% CI of −0.05 to −0.01) rather than the low group. Conclusion These findings hold significant implications for intervention formulation. Educators should focus on strengthening resilience and fostering positive perceptions of adversity among the low group. For the moderate group, maintaining moderate negative perceptions of adversity may stimulate the intrinsic potential for positive development more effectively.