Social Support and Left-Behind Children’s Social Adaptation: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem

The mechanism by which social support contributes to the social adaptation of left-behind children (LBC) in mainland China remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the direct effect of social support and the mediating role of self-esteem on LBC’s social adaptation. Data from 983 children in grades 4–9 from 6 schools were collected in a rural area of Jiangsu Province in mainland China. The study’s results indicated that LBC had significantly lower subjective support, support-seeking behavior, self-esteem, and social adaptation than non-left-behind children (NLBC). In addition, social support significantly and positively predicted LBC’s social adaptation, and self-esteem partially mediated the influence of social support on LBC’s social adaptation. These findings provide a timely and necessary understanding of the development and interventions for LBC’s social adaptation.