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Sustained effects of left-behind experience during childhood on mental health in Chinese university undergraduates

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Abstract

Rapid industrialization and urbanization in China have resulted in labor migrants leaving children behind. For left-behind children (LBC), disrupted parental attachment may increase the risk of psychiatric morbidity in adulthood. To investigate psychopathological consequences for university students who were LBC and to estimate the effects of one or both parents being migrants, the duration of left-behind experience, and parental absence during critical periods of growth on psychiatric morbidity. We conducted an annual survey of all freshmen at a Chinese university from 2014 to 2018. The questionnaire collected information on left-behind experiences and psychiatric morbidity using standardized self-report instruments. Regression coefficients derived from logistic regression were used to measure the associations among total time left behind, absence of one parent or both parents, age when left behind and psychopathological consequences. A total of 42,505 students were included. Students who were LBC had more psychopathology, including depression, anxiety, somatoform disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder, self-reported suicide attempts and deliberate self-harm, than those who were not. Students for whom one or both parents were migrants showed a greater risk of psychiatric morbidity. The risk of psychiatric morbidity increased with the length of parental absence. Left-behind experience during childhood represents sustained impacts for university students into early adulthood. The higher prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in young adults who experienced the absence of one or both of their parents, especially in their early childhood, suggests that other factors besides attachment, such as protection from other risks, are important and that further research is necessary.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the efforts of the research team and the kindness of the participants for their participation.

Funding

This work was partly funded by National Nature Science Foundation of China Key Project (T.L., 81630030 and T.L., 81920108018); Special Foundation for Brain Research from Science and Technology Program of Guangdong (2018B030334001); National Key R&D Program, Ministry of Science and Technology, China 2016YFC0904300; 1.3.5 Project for disciplines of excellence, West China Hospital of Sichuan University (T.L., ZY2016103, ZY2016203 and ZYGD20004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, The State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China

    Xiaojing Li, Jeremy W. Coid, Qiuyue Lv, Yamin Zhang, Hua Yu, Qiang Wang, Wei Deng, Liansheng Zhao, Xiaohong Ma, Yajing Meng, Mingli Li, Huiyao Wang, Ting Chen, Wanjun Guo & Tao Li

  2. West China Brain Research Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

    Xiaojing Li, Jeremy W. Coid, Qiuyue Lv, Yamin Zhang, Hua Yu, Qiang Wang, Wei Deng, Liansheng Zhao, Xiaohong Ma, Yajing Meng, Mingli Li, Huiyao Wang, Wanjun Guo & Tao Li

  3. Mental Health Education Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

    Xiaojing Li, Jeremy W. Coid, Qiuyue Lv, Yamin Zhang, Hua Yu, Qiang Wang, Wei Deng, Liansheng Zhao, Xiaohong Ma, Yajing Meng, Mingli Li, Huiyao Wang, Wanjun Guo & Tao Li

  4. Institute of Emergency Management and Post-Disaster Reconstruction, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

    Wanjie Tang

  5. Centre for Psychological Educational and Consultation, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

    Wanjie Tang & Tao Li

  6. Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangzhou, China

    Tao Li

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  1. Xiaojing Li
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  2. Jeremy W. Coid
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  16. Tao Li
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Contributions

XJL and TL: designed this study; XJL, WJT, QYL, YMZ, YH, QW, WD, LSZ, XHM, YJM, MLL, HYW, TC and WJG: recruited the participants, administered the assessment and carried out data analysis; XJL: wrote the manuscript, JWC and TL: guided the writing. All authors listed have read, corrected, and approved it for publication.

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Correspondence to Tao Li.

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The study was conducted following the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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All the participants were informed, and signed the informed consent online.

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Li, X., Coid, J.W., Tang, W. et al. Sustained effects of left-behind experience during childhood on mental health in Chinese university undergraduates. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 30, 1949–1957 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-020-01666-6

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