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Background <p>The experience of being left behind by parents in the care of other relatives during childhood is common in China. Students with such experiences may be vulnerable to adverse mental health outcomes, but seeking help may mitigate the impact. The relationships among childhood left-behind experience, help-seeking, and mental health status are yet to be explored, particularly in rural China.</p> Methods <p>Two cross-sectional health surveys were conducted among first-year university students in Guizhou, China, in 2018 and 2020, with a total sample of 4078. Single-item questions were used to gather information on whether the respondent had Childhood Left-Behind (CLB) experience and sought professional help. Mental health status was measured using the Chinese Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90). Data were analysed using multiple linear regression and logistic regression models.</p> Results <p>There was a positive and significant relationship between CLB experience and the total SCL-90 scores in the sample population, with a regression coefficient of 4.8 (s.e.= 1.45, t4070 = 4.18, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) after adjusting for potential confounding variables, including demographics, concern about one’s mental health, and help-seeking. A similar result was obtained using the dichotomized SCL classification, with an increased odds of positive psychiatric symptoms by nearly 25% for those who had a CLB experience compared to those who did not (OR = 1.24, 95%C.I.=1.05–1.46), after controlling for potential confounding variables. A significant modification effect was found between CLB and help-seeking in the association between CLB experience and mental health status. However, no significant modification effect was found between CLB and the year of data collection.</p> Conclusions <p>The results of this exploratory study suggest that the experience of being left behind by parents, even in the care of other relatives, can be detrimental to the mental health of these children as they grow up. Help-seeking for mental health problems can attenuate the impact of CLB experience and, in turn, reduce the risk of mental ill health in young people.</p>

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The association between childhood left-behind experience, help-seeking, and mental health status among university students in rural China: a cross-sectional study

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月27日

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  • Lin Yin,
  • Lawrence T. Lam

摘要

Background

The experience of being left behind by parents in the care of other relatives during childhood is common in China. Students with such experiences may be vulnerable to adverse mental health outcomes, but seeking help may mitigate the impact. The relationships among childhood left-behind experience, help-seeking, and mental health status are yet to be explored, particularly in rural China.

Methods

Two cross-sectional health surveys were conducted among first-year university students in Guizhou, China, in 2018 and 2020, with a total sample of 4078. Single-item questions were used to gather information on whether the respondent had Childhood Left-Behind (CLB) experience and sought professional help. Mental health status was measured using the Chinese Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90). Data were analysed using multiple linear regression and logistic regression models.

Results

There was a positive and significant relationship between CLB experience and the total SCL-90 scores in the sample population, with a regression coefficient of 4.8 (s.e.= 1.45, t4070 = 4.18, p < 0.001) after adjusting for potential confounding variables, including demographics, concern about one’s mental health, and help-seeking. A similar result was obtained using the dichotomized SCL classification, with an increased odds of positive psychiatric symptoms by nearly 25% for those who had a CLB experience compared to those who did not (OR = 1.24, 95%C.I.=1.05–1.46), after controlling for potential confounding variables. A significant modification effect was found between CLB and help-seeking in the association between CLB experience and mental health status. However, no significant modification effect was found between CLB and the year of data collection.

Conclusions

The results of this exploratory study suggest that the experience of being left behind by parents, even in the care of other relatives, can be detrimental to the mental health of these children as they grow up. Help-seeking for mental health problems can attenuate the impact of CLB experience and, in turn, reduce the risk of mental ill health in young people.