60 mln kids in China living without their parents
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E-mail China Daily, June 19, 2015
"I conducted a survey at a school in the county I visited, and about 50 percent of the students said they wished their parents would stop quarreling," he added.
One of the main reasons parents leave their children behind is that as migrant workers they have no access to social security in the cities where they work.
"Additionally, many of them are temporary workers, and may change their job several times a year, so it's impossible for them to bring their children with them," Guan said.
Communication is key
Li Yifei, deputy director of the Scientific Communication and Education Research Center at Beijing Normal University who is also senior researcher in psychology, said that even trained psychology professionals find it difficult to identify and understand the psychological problems faced by left-behind children.
"Children faced with such problems don't behave differently or give different answers to questions in polls. That's why we need to communicate with them more thoroughly and learn about their concerns," he said.
According to Li, the large number of left-behind children means it would be impossible to attempt large-scale psychological intervention.
"Most left-behind children don't have severe psychological problems, and so professional psychotherapists might not be able to help them," he said.
Liu said it's important for parents to learn to how to communicate effectively with their children. "We found that many children are unwilling to talk with their parents on the phone because they know they will always be quizzed about their performance at school.
"They need what most children need - a story told by their father before bed, a few words of encouragement, and constant reminders that they are loved and missed," he said.
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