TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2017//
TI  - Parental migration, children's safety and psychological adjustment in rural china: a meta-analysis
JO  - Trauma, violence, and abuse
A1  - Chen, Mengtong
A1  - Sun, Xiaoyue
A1  - Chen, Qiqi
A1  - Chan, Ko Ling
SP  - 1524838017744768
EP  - 1524838017744768
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - Studies concerning left-behind children in rural China have shown that parental absence due to migration is associated with greater risk of child victimization and accidental injuries, and a range of psychosocial problems. The authors conducted this meta-analysis to determine the extent to which left-behind children are affected by parental migration, as compared to children in nonmigrant rural families. A comprehensive literature search was conducted, and 90 studies published before 2017 were included in the data synthesis and analysis. The results revealed that compared to non-left-behind children, rural left-behind children are generally more disadvantaged in regard to child safety ( d = 0.27) and psychological adjustment ( d = 0.25). The effect sizes, though interpreted as small, revealed that children in rural China are significantly affected by parental migration. Children's educational stage was a significant variable that moderated the effect sizes of child safety and psychological adjustment. The findings of the meta-analysis indicated that mother-only migration may have the most harmful effect on children. In terms of implications for interventions, the results suggest more attention should be given to rural left-behind children and to "mother-absent children" in particular. Future research is warranted to explore the association between left-behind children's psychological adjustment and their exposure to injury and victimization.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1524-8380
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1524838017744768
ID  - ref1
ER  -