Society

Left-behind children prey to mental ills

By Li Yao and Guo Rui (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-04-11 08:12

WUHAN - Experts are calling for better care and stronger intervention to deal with the psychological troubles suffered by children left behind in their hometowns by their migrant-worker parents.

A recent survey conducted by the Wuhan Mental Health Center polled 1,200 children who are in that situation. The results showed that about 14 percent of them suffered from psychological disorders during their adolescence.

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Begun in October 2009, the survey interviewed 11,000 participants, including the children, who ranged in age from six to 14 and hailed from rural places.

Zhong Baoliang, the leading expert for the survey, said about 170 of the children polled had experienced hardships while they had been away from their parents and had spent their teenage years with their grandparents or other relatives.

Zhong said they now suffer from learning disabilities, depression, social phobias and other troubles.

"They need more care from all of society," he said.

Liu Jitong, professor of public health at Peking University, said such children often suffer psychological disorders because they have been deprived of the most basic and important necessity of childhood: parental love.

Liu said their troubles are serious and may develop into even worse conditions -- such as personality disorders.

Liu said the best way to prevent a worsening condition in children is to identify their troubles and treat them while they are still young. Steps should also be taken to help migrant couples find homes where they can live together with their children.

Sang Biao, a psychology professor at East China Normal University in Shanghai, said the unattended children of migrant workers, when compared with children raised by parents, are often found to be more susceptible to psychological troubles like depression and learning disabilities.

Sang said such children need family members beside their parents to provide guidance on social norms and decent behavior.

Schools and communities, places the young tend to feel comfortable with, can help by placing the children among others of a similar age.

In a recent book about psychological disorders among Chinese youth, Sun Yunxiao, a famous educator, placed much blame on poor parenting, China Youth Daily reported on Wednesday.

Sun said children often develop mental troubles because their parents at times are insensitive to their needs and interests and demand too much of them, according to the report.

There are now more than 58 million children who have been left behind by migrant parents in rural China, according to statistics from the All-China Women's Federation.