Communication or Alienation? Relationship Between Negative Life Events and Mental Health of Left-Behind Children in Rural China

To explore the varying mental health outcomes between two comparable left-behind children (LBC) samples, verify the mediation model of mental health via resilience, and study the intermediary function of peer attachment in this relationship, a survey was conducted based on a random sample of 1,368 LBC with the mental health test, adolescent self-rating life checklist, resilience scale and peer attachment scale. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated, and regression and structural equation models were performed. Both-parents absent LBC reported significantly higher scores in negative life events and mental health—and significantly lower scores in resilience and peer attachment—than single-parent absent LBC. Resilience can function as a mediator between negative life events and mental health. Moderated mediation analyses found that negative life events have an indirect effect upon resilience, and such an effect is significantly impacted by peer attachment variables. Most pertinently, peer communication plays a major moderation role in enhancing the ability to cope with negative life events through resilience and promoting mental health in both-parents absent LBC, and the higher peer alienation the lower role in enhancing resilience on low negative life events in single-parent absent LBC. Given the reality of parental absence, Both-parents absence poses a risk to the health of LBC, that is, they are particularly likely to have long-term health problems. These findings can promote the understanding of the potential mediating mechanisms, thus further developing the theoretic system on LBC’s mental health.