The Interrelationships between Parental Migration, Home Environment, and Early Child Development in Rural China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

A growing body of literature is providing evidence of a negative association between parental migration and child development. Meanwhile, the chain of relationships between parental migration, home environment, and early child development has not yet been well documented in China. This paper investigates the interrelationships between parental migration, home environment, and early child development in an undeveloped area of western rural China. In total, 444 households were included in the study. Bayley Scales of Infant Development version III (BSID-III), Home Observation Measurement of the Environment (HOME), and a socioeconomic questionnaire, were used to measure children’s development outcomes, home environment, and socioeconomic characteristics in sample households. A mediation effect model was used to estimate the interrelationships between parental migration, home environment, and child development. The results demonstrate that home environment works as a significant mediator, through which parental migration is associated with a 0.07 standard deviation (SD), 0.13 SD, 0.12 SD, and 0.10 SD decline in the child’s cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional scores, respectively. For future studies, the key findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving the home environments of left-behind children might be necessary in rural China.

The impact of a skipped-generation family structure on early child development in Khon Kaen Province: a prospective cohort study

“…However, upon conducting an analysis of each aspect of development based on sex, it was discovered that in early childhood, children raised by skipped-generation families exhibited a notable suspected delay in language development compared to children raised in non-skipped-generation families. This finding corresponds to the research conducted by Zhong J et al, which revealed a correlation between parental migration and delayed language development in children during early childhood 20 . Stimulating activities are crucial for fostering the progress of language development aspects.…”

“…However, an additional study, which was also conducted in a rural region of China, yielded slightly divergent findings regarding early childhood development. Parental migration did not correlate with a child's cognitive, motor, or social-emotional development; however, it was associated with delayed language development in early childhood 20 . Recently, a prospective cohort study was conducted on Chinese children to evaluate the correlation between parental migration and various indicators of early childhood development.…”

“…Stimulating activities are crucial for fostering the progress of language development aspects. These activities rely on the experience and training provided by a primary caregiver 20 , 36 – 38 . In a typical family, the parents are responsible for the child's care, and a mother's care is essential for nurturing her children 8 .…”

“…Therefore, in these families, elderly grandparents are primarily responsible for providing care to children 18 , 19 . Children who have been left behind may have an increased likelihood of experiencing developmental delays 18 , 20 , 21 . This situation could potentially arise as a result of elderly grandparents assuming the role of primary caregivers; they may encounter limitations due to a lack of comprehension of the significance of positive parenting practices and cognitive stimulation, such as reading to the child or encouraging play.…”

Interrelationships of Parenting Information, Family Care, and Child Development: A Cross-Sectional Study in Rural China

“…The findings also revealed that different components of family care play heterogeneous roles between parenting information and development outcomes. On the one hand, play materials are important material inputs for child development [ 11 , 12 , 32 , 33 ]. The caregiver who has received more parenting information would prepare more varieties of play materials in the household, which in turn, foster the child’s development in all four ECD outcomes.…”