Social Support and Loneliness among Chinese Rural-to-Urban Migrant Children: A Moderated Mediation Analysis of the Roles of Social Competence and Stress Mindset

Abstract

Social support has been an important social-contextual protective factor against loneliness. However, how individual-level protective factors, such as social competence and a positive stress mindset, may jointly influence the relationship between social support and loneliness is less known. This study examined to what extent the link between social support and loneliness would be mediated by social competence and moderated by stress mindset among migrant children. In total, 198 rural-to-urban migrant children aged 10–14 years (56.1% girls) in Beijing, China, completed a set of self-reported questionnaires. A moderated mediation analysis was performed. We found that perceived social support was associated with a lower level of loneliness, and this association was significant only for migrant children holding a positive stress mindset (indicated by a high ratio of the stress-is-a-challenge mindset to the stress-is-a-threat mindset). Notably, across children with different stress mindsets, perceived social support was indirectly related to a lower level of loneliness through greater social competence. Our findings suggest that social competence and a stress-is-a-challenge mindset are important individual-level protective factors for migrant children to overcome loneliness. Social competence can carry the effect of social support, and a stress-is-a-challenge mindset can optimize the effect of environmental resources on mental health.

Pre-pandemic family resources and child self-regulation in children’s internalizing problems during COVID-19: a multi-level social-ecological framework for emotional resilience

“…Our research calls for attention to nurturing children's emotional resilience under stressful and uncertain circumstances by activating multi-level resources in their social-ecological systems. Consistent with previous studies on the interaction between child-level competence and environmental resources in the Asian context (e.g., Chen and Yang, 2022), our study underscores the interplay between external and internal resources. Resiliencebased intervention programs have been effective in reducing internalizing symptoms and promoting psychological well-being among children and adolescents (see Dray et al, 2017 children to build a good foundation for positive adjustments to potential adversities or major life events.…”

Interpersonal Sensitivity and Subjective Well-Being of Migrant Workers’ Accompanying Children: Role of Perception of Exclusion and Peer Support

“…3,4 Within the framework of the environment-personality interaction theory, an individual's psychological dynamics wield a more profound impact on their subjective well-being than external circumstances. 2,6 While certain studies have delved into the beneficial influences of protective elements like parent-child attachment, self-esteem, resilience, and emotion regulation on the subjective well-being of migrant workers' accompanying children, [19][20][21] there exists a dearth of exploration concerning interpersonal sensitivity as a potential vulnerability factor. This knowledge gap hinders a comprehensive understanding of the determinants affecting the subjective well-being of migrant workers' accompanying children and constrains the array of feasible interventions.…”

“…The environment-personality interaction theory posits that individual psychological factors exert a more significant influence on subjective well-being than external environmental factors. 2 , 6 Due to their disadvantaged socioeconomic status, migrant workers’ accompanying children demonstrate heightened levels of interpersonal sensitivity, 7 which refers to an individual’s enhanced attentiveness and receptiveness to others’ emotions and actions. Research has established a statistically significant association between interpersonal sensitivity and mental health, 8 , 9 indicating that individuals with high interpersonal sensitivity are more prone to developing psychological issues like depression or anxiety.…”