The Psychological Well-Being among Left-Behind Children of Labor Migrant Parents in Rural Northern Vietnam - Open Journal of Social Sciences

JSS > Vol.5 No.6, June 2017

Open Journal of Social Sciences

Volume 5, Issue 6 (June 2017)

ISSN Print: 2327-5952 ISSN Online: 2327-5960

Google-based Impact Factor: 0.73 Citations

The Psychological Well-Being among Left-Behind Children of Labor Migrant Parents in Rural Northern Vietnam ()

HTML XML

Download as PDF (Size: 307KB) PP. 188-201

DOI: 10.4236/jss.2017.56017 1,876 Downloads 5,486 Views Citations

Author(s)

Nguyen Van Luot, Nguyen Ba Dat

Affiliation(s)

Faculty of Psychology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University (VNU-Hanoi), Hanoi, Vietnam.

ABSTRACT

Background: In Asia, especially in China and ASEAN, it has been an obvious trend that the population in general and parents in particular leave the countryside to bigger cities or more developed countries for employment opportunities. Many migrant workers are forced to leave their children at home with caregivers, particularly in families with both husband and wife working away from home. Studies worldwide have showed that, besides positive economic and social impacts, labor migrant parents also cause negative effects to the well-being of those they leave behind, especially children. However, this study orientation has not generated significant interest in Vietnam. Participants: This paper indicates the results of a survey on 469 left-behind children of labor migrant parents in rural areas by comparing them with a control group of 650 children living with their parents in three rural areas of North Vietnam including Phu Tho, Bac Ninh and Ha Nam provinces. Besides, we also survey 363 caregivers (parent or grandfather/grandmother of left-behind children) about psychological well-being of left-behind children. Method: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used for this study. SDQ was Vietnamized by author Dang Hoang Minh et al. (2013) and adaptable to Vietnamese teenagers. Results: As reported by the surveyed children, the SDQ mean total difficulties score of those having migrant parents was 12.55 (SD = 5.96) and 18.9% of these children had scores higher than the cut-off score. As rated by caregivers, they were 11.12 (SD = 5.14) and 15.1%, respectively. There is a statistically significant difference in mental health between the LBC and non-LBC group. The general trend is that the LBC reported to have higher scores of total difficulties and specific expressions including hyperactivity/inattention, emotional symptoms, peer relationship problems, conduct problems than that of non-LBC. Self-esteem and self-assessment of academic performance is the key factors affecting total difficulties of left-behind children.

KEYWORDS

Psychological Well-Being/Mental Health, “Left behind Children”, Migrant Parents

Share and Cite:

Luot, N.V. and Dat, N.B. (2017) The Psychological Well-Being among Left-Behind Children of Labor Migrant Parents in Rural Northern Vietnam. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 5, 188-201. doi: 10.4236/jss.2017.56017.

Cited by

[1]	Children's Well-Being Post the Pandemic and Amid the Economic Crisis in Lebanon
	2022

[2]	Assessing the social well-being of children in Durban left behind by parents working outside the borders of South Africa
	2022

[3]	Các nguồn lực và mô hình, giải pháp trợ giúp trẻ em có cha mẹ đi làm xa: Kinh nghiệm của Trung Quốc và gợi ý cho Việt Nam
	VNU Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2021

[4]	Association of child mental health with child and family characteristics in rural China: a cross-sectional analysis
	2021

[5]	初中生主观生活质量及其影响因素研究现状
	中国校医, 2021

[6]	Effect of overseas parental employment migration on healthcare seeking for common childhood illnesses and nutritional status among left-behind young …
	Journal of Child …, 2020

[7]	Many Social Problems in Vietnam Stem from the Communication Problems among High School Students While No School Counseling Support Is Provided--the …
	2020

[8]	PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF STUDENTS IN HO CHI MINH CITY
	Conference Paper, 2019

[9]	Mental health problems among adolescents left behind by their migrant parents in Romania
	2019

[10]	Effects of Parental Migration on Life Satisfaction and Academic Achievement of Left-Behind Children in Rural China—A Case Study in Hubei Province
	Children, 2018

[11]	Effect of overseas parental employment migration on healthcare seeking for common childhood illnesses and nutritional status among left-behind young children: A …
	Journal of Child Health Care, 2018

[12]	Zimbabwean migrant parents and changing immigration law in South Africa: understanding migrant parents and their responses to South Africa's immigration policy …
	2018

[13]	Migration, displacement and education
	2018

Journals Menu

Follow SCIRP

	+1 323-425-8868
	customer@scirp.org
	+86 18163351462(WhatsApp)
	1655362766

	Paper Publishing WeChat

Journals Menu

Home

About SCIRP

Service

Policies