Self-concept of left-behind children in China: a systematic review of the literature.

The aim of our study was to systematically review studies which had compared self-concept in left-behind children with the general population of children in China. Relevant studies about self-concept of left-behind children in China published from 2004 to 2014 were sought by searching online databases including Chinese Biological Medicine Database ( CBM), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure ( CNKI), Wanfang Database, Vip Database, Pub Med Database, Google Scholar and Web of Science. The methodological quality of the articles was assessed by using Newcastle- Ottawa Scale ( NOS). Poled effect size and associated 95% confidence interval ( CI) were calculated using the random effects model. Cochrane's Q was used to test for heterogeneity and I² index was used to determine the degree of heterogeneity. Nineteen studies involving 7758 left-behind children met the inclusion criteria and 15 studies were included in a meta-analysis. The results indicated that left-behind group had a lower score of self-concept and more psychological problems than the control group. The factors associated with self-concept in left-behind children were gender, age, grade and the relationships with parents, guardians and teachers. Left-behind children had lower self-concept and more mental health problems compared with the general population of children. The development of self-concept may be an important channel for promoting mental health of left-behind children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]