The Effect of a Multi-Component Positive Psychological Intervention on Promoting Wellbeing of Left-Behind Children in China

Abstract

The parental separation among left-behind children in China imposes a huge burden on their mental health and well-being. These children, living alone while their parents migrate for work, suffer from severely undermined health and interpersonal relationships, including increased susceptibility to depression, emotional and behavioral problems, anxiety, and aversive states such as loneliness. Fortunately, extensive research has identified protective factors against these negative impacts, such as resilience, self-esteem, and psychological capital. Positive psychology, a field of study that focuses on promoting the “goods” to increase the flourishing of people, can be a breakthrough source of solution that boosts these factors. This research protocol aims to examine a multi-component positive psychological intervention – Injoy – on promoting the well-being of middle-school-aged left-behind children in China through measuring subjective well-being, depressive symptoms, mental health, self-esteem, resilience, and psychological capital before and after the implementation of the eight-week internet-based intervention.