Young people with left-behind experiences in childhood have higher levels of psychological resilience

Abstract

This study investigated the development of psychological capital and its relationship with adult attachment in Chinese college students with left-behind experiences in childhood. The results show that the psychological capital of left-behind experiences in childhood was moderate, and their self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and overall psychological capital were significantly lower than those without left-behind experiences. However, their psychological resilience was remarkably higher than the latter. As for adult attachment, their attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were also remarkably higher. The findings suggest that left-behind experiences impaired the development of the emotional–motivation system of left-behind experiences in childhood, but facilitated the development of their survival–protection system.