Background: The left-behind children of overseas Chinese are a kind of vulnerable children in the eastern coastal areas of China. Previous studies have shown that there are problems in their school adjustment. This study explored the relationship between parent-child attachment and school adaptation among the left-behind children of overseas Chinese parents, as well as the chain mediating role of peer relationships and hometown identity.
Methods: A total of 1,047 students in grades 3-8 from 5 schools in Zhejiang Province were selected by cluster sampling. The cross-sectional survey was compiled from the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, the Adaptation subscale of the Adolescent Mental Health Quality Questionnaire-Chinese Version, the Hometown Identity Scale, and the Student Peer Relationship Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to test the conceptual model.
Results: The results showed that the influence of parent-child attachment on school adjustment among the left-behind children of overseas Chinese was mediated by hometown identity. Moreover, this impact was also sequentially mediated by peer relationships and hometown identity.
Conclusion: This study revealed peer relationships and hometown identity as underlying mechanism that explained the influence of parent-child attachment on school adjustment among left-behind children. It may provide empirical support for future interventions.
Keywords: hometown identity; left-behind children; parent–child attachment; peer relationships; school adjustment.
Copyright © 2022 Zhang, Li, Yan and Deng.