Exploring the lived experience of Chinese young adults who were 'left-behind' in rural China: a qualitative study

Left-behind children in China refers to an estimated 61 million children being separated for an extended period of time from one or both migrating parents. Little is known about the long-term impacts of being a left-behind child as people enter young adulthood. The absence of this knowledge prevents progress in policy and practice around parental migration and child protection and well-being in China.
The aim of this thesis was to expand knowledge about the phenomenon of left-behind children by learning from young Chinese adults who were ‘left-behind’ as children and / or adolescents. The study sought to capture and understand their experiences and the ways in which their present and anticipations of the future may be shaped by having been ‘left-behind’.
This study employed a single point, online timeline interview methodology, with twenty young Chinese adults (aged 18-25yrs) who had been left-behind children. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), the study analysed in depth their experiences as children and their perspectives on those experiences as they become adults, with particular attention to their psychological well-being. Outcomes were interpreted using attachment theory and the literature on adverse childhood experiences.
The analysis generated five themes reflecting the subjective experience of participants, namely turning point – the initial separation; pushes and pulls of family layers; family dynamics & the meaning of home; warmth and hope; and love-hate parent-child relationships. The following key findings are discussed in this thesis (i) the way parental separation occurred had a profound and enduring impact on participants; (ii) caregiving in extended kin was affected by monetary remittance, the number of left-behind children in the same household and adults’ feuds; (iii) it mattered who the children were left with in their family and where they could call home; (iv) the search for signs of love never ceased and informed views on themselves and relationships; (v) as developmental changes took place, the meaning of being separated changed, and resentment grew.
Findings suggest that being a left-behind child can be considered an adverse childhood experience often characterised by initial and enduring trauma. The psychological and relational legacy of being a left-behind children are significant to those who are left. Critical to the experience are the behaviours of the community with whom the child is left. Findings indicate the need for families, communities, schools, and government to acknowledge the profound impact of being a left-behind child on children and into adulthood, and the ways to mitigate the effects of trauma, given the likely ongoing cultural drive towards economic migration.