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Social Anxiety Status of Left-Behind Children in Rural Areas of Hunan Province and its Relationship with Loneliness

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Abstract

Objective

This study was designed to investigate the situation of social anxiety among left-behind children in rural areas of Hunan Province, China, and to study the effect of social anxiety on loneliness.

Methodology

A total of 797 left-behind children were selected from rural areas in Hunan Province, China. The basic information questionnaire for left-behind children, Social Anxiety Scale for Children, Perceived Social Support Scale and UCLA Loneliness Scale were used for investigation.

Results

(1) The social anxiety score of left-behind children in China is 6.84 ± 4.28, higher than non-left-behind children, and the score of boys is lower than that of girls, with no significant difference. The score of left-behind children in grade 5 is significantly lower than that of left-behind children in other grades. (2) The overall loneliness score is 16.30 ± 5.10, higher than non-left-behind children, and the score of boys is significantly higher than that of girls. (3) Social anxiety has a significant positive predictive effect on loneliness (P < 0.01). Regression analysis shows that social anxiety not only affects loneliness directly, but also affects loneliness indirectly through the mediating role of perceived social support.

Conclusions

Social anxiety is a risk factor for loneliness of left-behind children in rural areas. In the influence of social anxiety on loneliness, social support plays a partial mediating role.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks all the team members for their committed participation in this study. The authors are responsible for the content and writing of the article. This study was supported by The National Social Science Fund of China (17BTY043).

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  1. Physical Education Institute, Hunan First Normal University, Changsha City, China

    Menglong Li, Yujia Ren & Hua Sun

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  1. Menglong Li
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Correspondence to Menglong Li.

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Li, M., Ren, Y. & Sun, H. Social Anxiety Status of Left-Behind Children in Rural Areas of Hunan Province and its Relationship with Loneliness. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 51, 1016–1024 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-020-01045-x

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