Identifying risk factors for child neglect in rural areas of western China

Children who are neglected can experience serious and lifelong consequences. Earlier identification of children at risk for child neglect might reduce the individual, medical and societal costs.

A cross-sectional survey using multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling was conducted in Shaanxi and Chongqing from September 2012 to April 2013. The child neglect was measured by scale on child neglect in Rural China. The neglect rates between groups were compared with a chi-squared test. Factors possibly associated with neglect were analysed with binary logistic regression. All analyses were conducted in 2014.

A total of 4131 eligible participants (2094 boys and 2037 girls) from 21 schools were recruited. The overall prevalence of child neglect was 55.50%. Significant differences were found between children of Han nationality (53.07%) and children of minorities (68.76%) (P < 0.01); un-left-behind children (49.10%) and left-behind children (61.65%) (P < 0.01); first-born children (52.90%) and non-first-born children (59.04%) (P < 0.01); and children from one-child families (47.87%) and children from multi-child families (58.20%) (P < 0.01). Protective factors included one-child families, being a girl and having a father with higher education. However, factors such as being left behind; being from a minority, step family or one-parent family; or having a mother who rarely returns home placed children at increased risk of neglect.

The neglect rate of school-aged children in rural areas of western China is much higher than that in urban areas and eastern China. Children belonging to minorities, step families and multi-child families, whose mother seldom goes home, are at a higher risk of being neglected. The left-behind children deserve more attention from government and researchers.