Health-related quality of life and influencing factors among migrant children in Shaoxing, China

The chain mediating effect of learning goal distress and excessive learning motivation from unknown locus of control on migrant middle school students' learning anxiety

The prevalence of learning anxiety among Chinese migrant middle school students is a notable concern in academia. There is a wealth of research on the effects of internal and external locus of control on learning anxiety, but there is still a lack of research on unknown locus of control. To grasp the situation of migrant middle school students in terms of learning anxiety, to understand the relationship between migrant middle school students' unknown locus of control and learning anxiety, this study surveyed 351 migrant middle school students, using Mental Health Test, Multidimensional Measure of Children's Perceptions of Control, Middle School Students Learning Motivation Scale to do the questionnaire survey. The data analysis conducted through SPSS software revealed the following findings: (1) There is a positive prediction of learning anxiety from an unknown locus of control (β = 0.139, p < 0.05). (2) Unknown locus of control indirectly influences learning anxiety through both learning goal distress and excessive learning motivation. Learning goal distress and excessive learning motivation partially mediate the relationship between unknown locus of control and learning anxiety. The total magnitude of the indirect effects is 0.15 (p<0.05). The effect is significant, but the size of the effect is small and the issue of generalizability should be considered. The research findings suggest that the unknown locus of control indirectly affects learning anxiety through difficulties with learning goals and excessive learning motivation. It is suggested that increasing opportunities for students to make independent choices and to develop their sense of self-control in daily lessons; guiding students to set appropriate learning goals, avoiding too high or too low, emphasizing refinement of goals and the combination of long-term and short-term goals.

A Comparison Quality of Life of Children of Seasonal Agricultural Workers and Local Residents in Turkey

OBJECTIVES

Children of seasonal agricultural workers (SAW) live in the worst conditions of agricultural labor and, consequently, face many health risks. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the quality of life (QoL) of these children. This study aimed to compare the QoL between children of SAW and local residents in semi-rural areas of Eskisehir, Turkey, and determine the factors affecting them.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, we included children of SAW living in temporary camp areas and those of local residents visiting the Family Health Center close to the camp areas. Basic sociodemographic data collection forms and the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) scale were employed for data collection. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine factors that had a significant effect on the QoL.

RESULTS

We included 324 children of SAW and 256 local children. As per the multivariate analysis, QoL was lower in children aged between 8 and 12 years, with physician-diagnosed chronic diseases, and children of SAW. Also, there was no significant association between gender, parental education levels, family income, number of siblings, school attendance status, and QoL level.

CONCLUSION

The QoL of children of SAW families was significantly lower than their peer local children. Therefore, the appropriate authorities must prioritize the planning and implementation of health services for SAW families.

Factors Associated with Chinese Migrant Children's Social Engagement during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study in Guangzhou City, China

This study aims to examine whether social work services can improve migrant children's social engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic in urban China. Valid questionnaires of 416 migrant children in Guangzhou were obtained as the samples. Two regression models were employed to analyze the factors associated with social engagement. The results show that during the pandemic, migrant children with higher self-efficacy, higher community social capital, and better social inclusion tended to have higher social engagement. Among the three dimensions of social capital, only community social capital has a significant positive effect on migrant children's social engagement. The degree of social inclusion of migrant children affects their social engagement. Social work services are beneficial to promoting the social engagement of migrant children. The research has implications for the practice of child social workers. First, it is important to cultivate migrant children's self-efficacy to promote social engagement. Second, social workers should build the social capital of the communities where migrant children live to promote the social engagement of this group. Third, social workers should strengthen support for migrant children's learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Association between maternal intimate partner violence and health-related quality of life in their preschool children: The mediating role of maternal parenting styles

BACKGROUND

Although intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a public health issue around the world, there is a lack of evidence regarding the impact of maternal IPV on preschool children's health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between maternal IPV and HRQOL among Chinese preschool children, as well as the mediating role of maternal parenting styles.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 4,243 mother-child dyads who attended preschools. Mothers self-reported their parenting styles and experience of IPV. Children's HRQOL was collected through mother-proxy report with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory version 4.0 (PedsQL 4.0). Multivariate linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between maternal IPV and children's HRQOL. Mediation models were further applied to explore the possible mediating role of maternal parenting styles.

RESULTS

Of the included mothers, 7.4% had experience of IPV. Compared to children of mothers without any IPV exposure, those of mothers with experience of IPV had significantly lower scores in all HRQOL dimensions and summary scales. After adjustment for covariates, maternal IPV was significantly associated with children's lower physical health summary score, psychosocial health summary score, and total scale score. Mediation analysis showed that both rejection and overprotection mediated such associations, but not for the emotional warmth.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicated the need to screen maternal IPV supplemented with targeted interventions focusing on parenting styles, in order to mitigate the negative impact of maternal IPV on children's HRQOL.

The relation between quality of life and future expectations for refugee adolescents

PROBLEM

Refugee children and their families encounter various challenges in a new country. Studies on this issue reveal the presence of negative expectations on the future and life among refugees. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between quality of life and future expectations in refugee adolescents.

METHODS

This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in Turkey. In this study, 76 refugee adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 participated. The study data were collected between September and December 2019 from two of the schools located in Istanbul. Study data were collected by using Future Expectation Scale for Adolescents (FESA) and Pediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire (PedsQL).

FINDINGS

The mean ages of the participants were 15.7 ± 1.1 and all of them were females. A positive relationship was found between future expectations and quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed that a positive significant relation was detected between quality-of-life scores and future expectations' scores. Understanding the factors affecting future expectations of refugee adolescents will help to plan interventions compatible with issues confronting adolescents.

Poverty and health-related quality of life: a cross-sectional study in rural China

BACKGROUND

The association between poverty and health has been widely assessed. However, whether the association between poverty and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) holds among different groups is unknown. This study aimed to 1) assess the association between poverty and HRQOL among rural residents in China and 2) examine whether the association holds among different populations, thereby supporting policy-making and implementation.

METHODS

A multistage, stratified, random household survey was conducted with self-administered questionnaires. Matched samples were generated by the censored exact matching method to reduce selection bias between the poverty and comparison groups. We applied Tobit and ordinal logit regression models to evaluate the association between poverty and HRQOL measured by the EQ-5D-3 L among different groups.

RESULTS

The health utility score of the poverty group was 6.1% lower than that of comparison group (95% CI = - 0.085, - 0.037), with anxiety/depression being most common (95% CI = 1.220, 1.791). The association between poverty and HRQOL was significantly stronger among residents from central China, males, people who were middle-aged, elderly, highly educated, married, or widowed, those living far from healthcare facilities, and those without chronic disease. Male and highly educated subjects reported worse mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression dimensions than the other respondents. Middle-aged (95% CI = 1.692, 2.851) and married respondents (95% CI = 1.692, 2.509) and respondents with chronic diseases (95% CI = 1.770, 2.849) were most affected in the anxiety/depression.

CONCLUSIONS

The HRQOL of individuals living in poverty is lower than that of the general population, and the mental health dimension is most affected by poverty among respondents who are middle-aged or married and respondents with chronic diseases. The identification of populations that are more affected by poverty is critical to improve their HRQOL. Various associations have indicated the need for integrated policies and specific decision-making.