Parent Education for Migrant Mothers of Left‐Behind Children in China: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

• Author: Siu‐ming To,Ming‐wai Yan,Yuk‐yan So,Ching‐man Kwok
• Date: 01 June 2019
• Published date: 01 June 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12369

Parent Education for Migrant Mothers of Left-Behind

Children in China: A Pilot Randomized Controlled

Trial

SIU-MING TO*

CHING-MAN KWOK*

YUK-YAN SO*

MING-WAI YAN*

Although numerous studies have indicated the significance of parental support and par-

ent–child communication in alleviating the adverse effects of parental departure on left-

behind children, researchers have rarely addressed the impact of parent education on

migrant parents. On the basis of the results of a pilot randomized controlled trial, the study

reported here involved examining the possible outcomes and feasibility of a parent educa-

tion program for rural-to-urban migrant mothers of left-behind children in China.

Informed by an existential–narrative approach to parent education, the program was com-

posed of six 2.5-hour sessions. The sample included 56 migrant mothers recruited from a

social service center in Shenzhen, China, who were randomly assigned to either the imme-

diate group (n=28, M=34.82 years, SD =4.12, aged 23–43) or the waitlist control group

(n=28, M=34.68 years, SD =4.53, aged 28–43). The hypotheses of the trial were two-

fold: that the program would positively affect participants’ parental identity and tha t it

would improve mother–child relationships and parenting practices. The results revealed

no significant difference in parental identity between the intervention gr oup and the wait-

list control group at the post-test assessment after ruling out the effects of pretest survey

scores. However, significant differences did emerge in parent–child relationships and par-

enting practices. Overall, the results corroborate the feasibility of examining the current

program for migrant mothers in China in a full trial. The findings also offer insights into

developing empirically supported parent education programs for migrant parents.

Keywords: Pa rent Education; Migrant Mothers; Left-Behind Children; Randomized

Controlled Trial; China

Fam Proc 58:318–333, 2019

INTRODUCTION

The economic ascendency of mainland China has been criticized by some scholars as

being built upon the suffering of a massive number of domestic migrants and their

left-behind children ( e.g.,Pun, 2016). In China, the term migrant workers refers to a group

of urban laborers with rural household registration (hukou) but who have left their

*Department of Social Work, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Siu-ming To, Department of Social Work,

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong. E-mail: siumingto@cuhk.edu.hk.

This study was funded by the General Research Fund 2015/16 of the Research Grant Council, The Hong

Kong SAR Government (RGC Ref No. 14603015). We would like to give our heartfelt thanks to the partici-

pants of this parent education program and the editor and reviewers of this journal.

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Family Process, Vol. 58, No. 2, 2019 ©2018 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12369

hometowns to work in host cities. Constrained by their hukou status as rural residents,

migrant workers are denied access to employment protection, healthcare, and other ser-

vices offered to their urban counterparts (Pun, 2016). At present, there are approximately

163 million migrant workers in China (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2013).

Meanwhile, left-behind children refers to children with at least one parent who has relo-

cated to work elsewhere for at least 6 months and not taken their children with them

(China Women’s Federation, 2013). In 2012, there were approximately 61 million left-

behind children under 18 years of age in China looked after by their other biological par-

ent, grandparents, other relatives, friends of the family, or even no one but thems elves

(China Women’s Federation, 2013). Many parents who work as migrants choose to leav e

their children behind in their hometowns due to the high cost of living in host cities and

the lack of public education and welfare for their children there due to the hukou system.

The difficulties and challenges encountered by left-behind children have generated sig-

nificant public concern in recent years, as well as research that highlights the children’s

psychological risks, including low self-esteem, intense loneliness, and mental health prob-

lems such as depression and social anxiety (Su, Li, Lin, Xu, & Zhu, 2012; Wen & Lin,

2012; Zhao & Yu, 2016). When left-behind children are young or when they fail to estab-

lish attachment to their parents, they run the risk of psychosocial hazards (Zhao & Yu,

2016). The prospects for children when both of their parents are migrant workers are even

more disheartening (Zhao, Liu, & Wang, 2015). Although most of those children are cared

for by kin, the childrearing capacity of such caregivers is limited in rural settings, and

they cannot replace the unique role of parents in fulfilling the emotional needs of left-

behind children (Zhao & Yu, 2016).

Despite that gloomy outlook, the quality of parent–child contact during separation can

mitigate the negative impacts of parental migration on left-behind children, who suffer

fewer emotional problems when they maintain close ties and enjoy good relationships with

their parents (Su et al., 2012; Zhao et al., 2015). Parental guidance and involvemen t can

also encourage children to exert more effort in their studies (Wen & Lin, 2012) and can

enhance their sense of satisfaction and happiness in life (Su et al., 2012). Given mounting

concern for the needs and welfare of left-behind children, it is vital that more parent edu-

cation programs are implemented to support parents in maintaining a high quality of par-

ental involvement and in fostering close parent–child relationships amid their physical

absence (Zhao & Yu, 2016).

Constructing a Healthy Parental Identity as the Primary Outcome of the Study

Constructing a healthy parental identity was regarded as the primary outcome of the

present study because it was considered to be of greatest importance to migrant mothers

of left-behind children in China. Research on parenthood has demonstrated that when

parents nurture healthy parental self-perceptions, they will have a greater chance to

enhance parent–child relationships, strengthen parental involvement and commitment,

and find less problem behavior in children (Coleman & Karraker, 1997; Dumka, Gonzales,

Wheeler, & Millsap, 2010; Ohan, Leung, & Johnston, 2000). In other words, the ability to

construct a healthy parental identity is a crucial factor influencing parents’ role perfor-

mance and behavior (Tsushima & Burke, 1999). Although few studies have documented

the development and evaluation of parent education programs for migrant parents in

China, a recent study on the parenting needs and experiences of these parents can offer

significant insights into developing parent education programs that support them to con-

struct a healthy parental identity. According to the results of the study by the Center for

Child Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility (CCR CSR, 2013) that surveyed 591

migrant parents working in Guangdong Province, located along China’s southern coast,

Fam. Proc., Vol. 58, June, 2019

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