Mental health among left-behind children in Vietnam: Role of resilience

Introduction: Having parents working away from home is an unexpected separation that has tremendous effects on various life aspects of left-behind children (LBC) with mental health problems. Some of these aspects, including LBC's subjective well-being, emotions, behaviors, academic difficulties, nutrition, and mental health, have been addressed in previous studies. However, the role of resilience in protecting LBC from mental health issues has received inadequate attention. Aim: The present study investigates mental health issues among LBC and the role of resilience in protecting these children from these issues. Methods: The participants were 792 students, of which 439 were LBC, with a mean age of 12.65 years old and a standard deviation of 1.60. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and Resilience Scale were used to measure participants' mental health and resilience, respectively. Results: 14% of LBCs had mental health issues, requiring support and intervention. There was no statistically significant difference between LBC and non-left-behind children (NLBC) in terms of mental health. 37.9% of the variance in participants' mental health was explained by resilience types, namely: goal planning, affect control, family support, and help-seeking. Conclusions: A small percentage of both LBC and NLBC had mental health issues. Resilience was a protective factor for LBC against mental health issues. Thus, we suggest parents, caregivers, and related people organize necessary activities to promote LBC's resilience.