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Parental Migration and Left-Behind Children’s Depressive Symptoms: Estimation Based on a Nationally-Representative Panel Dataset

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  • Mi Zhou

    (College of Economics and Management, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, Liaoning, China)

  • Xiaotong Sun

    (College of Economics and Management, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, Liaoning, China)

  • Li Huang

    (College of Economics and Management, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, Liaoning, China)

  • Guangsheng Zhang

    (School of Business, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110031, Liaoning, China)

  • Kaleigh Kenny

    (Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

  • Hao Xue

    (School of Economics and Management, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, Shanxi, China
    Center for Experimental Economics in Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710127, Shanxi, China)

  • Emma Auden

    (Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
    Center for Experimental Economics in Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710127, Shanxi, China)

  • Scott Rozelle

    (Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

Abstract

China’s rapid urbanization in the past several decades have been accompanied by rural labor migration. An important question that has emerged is whether rural labor migration has a positive or negative impact on the depressive symptoms of children left behind in the countryside by their migrating parents. This paper uses a nationally representative panel dataset to investigate whether parental migration impacts the prevalence of depressive symptoms among left-behind children in China. Using DID and PSM-DID methods, our results show that parental migration significantly increases the depression scores of 10 and 11-year-old children by 2 points using the CES-D depression scale. Furthermore, we also find that the negative effect of decreased parental care is stronger than the positive effect of increased income in terms of determining the depressive symptoms status of children in rural China.

Suggested Citation

  • Mi Zhou & Xiaotong Sun & Li Huang & Guangsheng Zhang & Kaleigh Kenny & Hao Xue & Emma Auden & Scott Rozelle, 2018. "Parental Migration and Left-Behind Children’s Depressive Symptoms: Estimation Based on a Nationally-Representative Panel Dataset," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-13, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:6:p:1069-:d:148864
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jing Luo & Jiaojiao Zou & Meimei Ji & Tong Yuan & Mei Sun & Qian Lin, 2019. "Emotional and Behavioral Problems Among 3- to 5-Year-Olds Left-Behind Children in Poor Rural Areas of Hunan Province: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-12, October.
    2. Li Huang & Xue Zhang & Mi Zhou & Brendan Nuse & Liuyin Tong, 2019. "Depressive Symptoms and Migrant Worker Wages: Estimation Based on a Nationally-Representative Panel Dataset," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-13, March.
    3. Mingzhi Mao & Lijun Zang & Haifeng Zhang, 2020. "The Effects of Parental Absence on Children Development: Evidence from Left-Behind Children in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-17, September.
    4. Jingjing Lu & Minmin Jiang & Lu Li & Therese Hesketh, 2019. "Relaxation in the Chinese Hukou System: Effects on Psychosocial Wellbeing of Children Affected by Migration," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-9, October.
    5. Huajun Wu & Zhiyong Cai & Qing Yan & Yi Yu & Ning Neil Yu, 2021. "The Impact of Childhood Left-Behind Experience on the Mental Health of Late Adolescents: Evidence from Chinese College Freshmen," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-12, March.

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