Psychosocial Well-Being of School-Aged Children Born to Bereaved (Shidu) Families: Associations with Mothers’ Quality of Life and Involvement Behaviors

Parents who lost their only child in the 12 May 2018 Wenchuan earthquake came to be known as the &ldquo
shidu&rdquo
(loss of an only child) parents. After the earthquake, they were beneficiaries of free reproductive health services, and most had another child. This study focuses on the psychosocial well-being of those children born to the shidu parents, and explores factors associated with mothers&rsquo
quality of life (QoL) and their involvement with their children. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in two primary schools in Wenchuan County. A sample of 192 families was analyzed (147 non-shidu and 45 shidu). The statistical analyses indicated that the children of shidu families had poorer peer relationships than children of non-shidu families. Moreover, shidu mothers&rsquo
expectations of their children&rsquo
s achievements were significantly lower than for non-shidu mothers, but there was no statistically significant difference in the QoL between them. Additionally, a higher home-based involvement of mothers was found to be moderately associated with peer relationship problems of children in shidu families. Therefore, we suggest a future research focus on developing joint activities for parents and children that help to increase emotional communication for the psychosocial development of children in shidu families after disasters in China.