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<p>Left-behind children (LBC)—a distinctive group in rural China who remain behind when their parents migrate for work—are at heightened risk of child maltreatment than their counterparts. However, there is a shortage of child maltreatment interventions in China, especially for rural LBC who are exposed to multiple risks. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a home visiting intervention on child abuse and neglect outcomes of rural LBC across five provinces in China. This study utilized a quasi-experimental design. We conducted a pre-intervention survey in 2018 and recruited 855 left-behind children aged 0–3 years with their caregivers. In 2020, after the two-year intervention, 780 left-behind children aged 2–6 years and their caregivers participated in a post-intervention survey. Child abuse was measured with the corresponding module in the Child Discipline Module of Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. A difference-in-difference (DID) approach was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. We found a significant effect of the home visiting intervention on an increase in caregivers’ non-violent discipline (11.7%, 95%CI: 2.4%, 21.0%) and a reduction in physical punishment (-14.6%, 95%CI: -25.1%, -4.1%). Caregivers who had received long duration (30&#xa0;min or above during each home visit) or high frequency (once or more per two months) of home visiting significantly had more non-violent discipline and less psychological aggression and physical punishment behaviors. These findings highlight the potential of integrating early childhood development and maltreatment prevention programs—delivered by community health workers—into preschool-aged LBC support systems in rural settings, offering practical educational and caregiver strategies for this vulnerable group.</p>

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Home Visiting Intervention for Families of Left-Behind Children: Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Child Abuse Outcomes

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月9日

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  • Mengshi Li,
  • Yufeng Du,
  • Shunping Li,
  • Chunxia Zhao,
  • Huifeng Shi,
  • Chang Tan,
  • Xiaoli Wang,
  • Jingxu Zhang

摘要

Left-behind children (LBC)—a distinctive group in rural China who remain behind when their parents migrate for work—are at heightened risk of child maltreatment than their counterparts. However, there is a shortage of child maltreatment interventions in China, especially for rural LBC who are exposed to multiple risks. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a home visiting intervention on child abuse and neglect outcomes of rural LBC across five provinces in China. This study utilized a quasi-experimental design. We conducted a pre-intervention survey in 2018 and recruited 855 left-behind children aged 0–3 years with their caregivers. In 2020, after the two-year intervention, 780 left-behind children aged 2–6 years and their caregivers participated in a post-intervention survey. Child abuse was measured with the corresponding module in the Child Discipline Module of Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. A difference-in-difference (DID) approach was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. We found a significant effect of the home visiting intervention on an increase in caregivers’ non-violent discipline (11.7%, 95%CI: 2.4%, 21.0%) and a reduction in physical punishment (-14.6%, 95%CI: -25.1%, -4.1%). Caregivers who had received long duration (30 min or above during each home visit) or high frequency (once or more per two months) of home visiting significantly had more non-violent discipline and less psychological aggression and physical punishment behaviors. These findings highlight the potential of integrating early childhood development and maltreatment prevention programs—delivered by community health workers—into preschool-aged LBC support systems in rural settings, offering practical educational and caregiver strategies for this vulnerable group.