Family Socioeconomic Status and Social Withdrawal in Chinese Left-Behind Children: The Moderated Mediating Role of Resilience and Teacher-Child Relationships

Abstract

Abstract BackgroundAs their parents sustained go out for labor service, the left-behind children in Chinese society can not be ignored. The significant effects of family socioeconomic status (SES) may have a direct intergenerational impact on a child’s social adjustment. Although many studies have looked into this topic, few studies have focused on the underlying mechanism and protective factors impacting family SES and offspring social adjustment in the Chinese immigrant context. Objective This study seeks to examine the mediating effect of resilience on the relationship between family socioeconomic status and social withdrawal behavior and explore whether teacher-child relationships (TCR) can moderate this association. Participants and setting The sample was 945 left-behind preschoolers (54.8% male) with an average age of 62.35 months (SD = 7.96). These children were from 21 kindergartens in the northern, central, and western regions of China's Guangdong Province, where with average and below-average economic levels. MethodsData were collected from the teachers about resilience, teacher-child relationships, and social withdrawal. Parents provide information concerning family socioeconomic status. Through SPSS and Mplus, a moderated mediation model was examined. ResultsFirst, SES is negatively correlated with left-behind preschoolers' social withdrawal. Second, resilience mediated the relationship between SES and social withdrawal.Third, teacher-child relationships moderated the indirect association between SES and social withdrawal behavioral problems via resilience. ConclusionsOur results support the critical role of resilience and teacher-child relationships in the association between family SES and social withdrawal behavior. Interventions should concentrate on left-behind children's resilience and teacher-child relationships to reduce harmful impacts being passed down through the generations.