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This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2008.150474v1 99/11/2049    most recent Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Liu, Z. Articles by Ge, X. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Liu, Z. Articles by Ge, X. Related Collections Adolescent Health Mental Health Asians Rural Health Socioeconomic Factors Immigration

Zhengkui Liu, PhD, Xinying Li, MD and Xiaojia Ge, PhD

The authors are with the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. Xiaojia Ge is also with the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis

Correspondence: Correspondence should be sent to Xiaojia Ge, PhD, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 51 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (e-mail: gexj{at}umn.edu). Reprints can be ordered at http://www.ajph.org by clicking the "Reprints/Eprints" link.

Objectives. We examined the effect of age at separation from parents on symptoms of anxiety and depression among children in rural communities in China whose parents migrated to cities in search of employment opportunities during the country's rapid economic development.

Methods. Students in 3 rural areas, Anhui, Chongqing, and Guizhou (N = 592; age = 10–17 years), completed questionnaires that asked about symptoms of state and trait anxiety, as well as depression and age at separation from parents.

Results. Children who were separated from parents at a younger age had more symptoms of anxiety and depression. This effect was especially pronounced for children who were separated from their mothers or from both parents.

Conclusions. China's explosive economic growth appears to exact a significant toll on left-behind children's mental health, particularly on children whose parents left early in their lives. The unintended consequences of the economic boom on child development need to be further examined in prospective studies.