Abstract
Objective
The issue of rural left-behind children has been gaining more attention from society. We aimed to survey the extent of social anxiety in rural left-behind children, reveal the relationship of social anxiety to family cohesion and adaptability, and provide a theoretical basis for health intervention.
Methods
One hundred ninety left-behind children and 359 non left-behind children from the Dezhou, Binzhou, and Zibo rural areas of Shandong Province in China were surveyed by a questionnaire using the Social Anxiety Scale for Children (SASC) and Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES II-CV).
Results
The extent of social anxiety differed among left-behind children by grade, age, and caregiver's level of education (P < 0.05). The extent of social anxiety of rural left-behind children was worse than that of non left-behind children (P < 0.05). The social anxiety of rural left-behind children was negatively correlated with family cohesion and adaptability, and the correlation coefficient was − 0.251 and − 0.229, respectively (P < 0.05).
Conclusions
Social anxiety, family cohesion and adaptability of rural left-behind children have internal consistency. The family cohesion and adaptability of rural left-behind children need to be promoted in order to reduce social anxiety.