Abstract
To investigate the predictive impact of parental care deficit on left-behind children’s incidence of depression and the influencing factors involved, our study employed the Parental Care Deficit Questionnaire, the Self-Doubt Scale, the Depressed Mood Scale, and the Friendship Quality Scale. A total of 593 left-behind children, with an average age of 13.8 years, were surveyed. The study found that parental care deficit significantly and positively predicted depression. Self-doubt played a partial mediating role in the relationship between parental care deficit and depression; friendship quality moderated the relationship between parental care deficit and self-doubt. When friendship quality was high, parental care deficit’s effect on self-doubt was enhanced, leading to higher levels of depression. This study uncovers the internal mechanisms through which parental care deficit impacts depression in left-behind children. On one hand, parental care deprivation directly affects left-behind children’s depression; on the other hand, it indirectly affects depression through self-doubt. Finally, friendship quality moderates the association between parental care deficit and self-doubt.
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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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This work was supported by Guangxi philosophy and social science planning research key topic(22ASH001).
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Chang, B., Wei, Y. & Fang, J. Lack of parental care increases depression of rural left-behind children in China: a moderated mediating effects*. Curr Psychol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05991-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05991-w