The Association Between Left-Behind Children Status and Peer Victimization: Self-Esteem and Perceived Social Support as Potential Moderators

Left-behind children (LBC; being left behind by one parent or both parents who migrated to a different location over six months) suffered higher peer victimization than did non-left-behind children. However, it is unclear whether intrapersonal (i.e. self-esteem) and environmental factors (i.e. perceived social support) would moderate the effect of LBC status on peer victimization. A total of 1,064 primary school students from rural China participated in this study. They provided demographic information and completed self-report measures on self-esteem, perceived social support, and peer victimization. After controlling for age and gender, multiple regression analysis revealed that LBC experienced higher peer victimization than their non-left-behind counterparts. Self-esteem and perceived social support were negatively associated with peer victimization. Self-esteem moderated the negative impact of being left behind on peer victimization, but perceived social support did not. Furthermore, the moderated moderation model revealed that the buffering role of self-esteem in the relation between being left behind and peer victimization only emerged among children with low perceived social support. These findings suggested that being left behind would increase the risk of peer victimization, but self-esteem could be a protective factor, especially for children with low social support. Intervention programs should pay more attention to LBC in rural China, improve their self-esteem and social support, thus reducing the likelihood of suffering peer victimization.