Abstract
Previous studies have identified sex differences in self-esteem and internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. Using cross-sectional data from 483 children (67.3% males, all Han Chinese) aged 8.97 to 17.0 years in a rural China’s boarding school, this study examined whether parenting styles, teacher support and peer support mediated the effect of sex on self-esteem and problem behaviors and whether the mediation model differed between children left behind by one or both of their migrant parents and children of non-migrant families. The results indicated that peer support suppressed the relations of sex to self-esteem and internalizing problem behaviors. Low peer support mediated the relationship of being boys with more externalizing problem behaviors. The significantly different path between left-behind children and non-left-behind children was based on the association of parental refusal with self-esteem.
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This study was supported by the Educational Science Planning Project of Henan Province ((2019)-JKGHYB-0012).
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Zhang, R., Sun, X., Wang, Y. et al. Peer support mediates sex differences in self-esteem and problem behaviors among children: Does parental migration make a difference?. Curr Psychol 42, 11026–11038 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02391-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02391-2