The Relationship between Loneliness, Self-Efficacy, and Satisfaction with Life in Left-Behind Middle School Students in China: Taking Binhai County of Jiangsu Province as an Example

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man

Objective: Explore how loneliness relates to self-efficacy and satisfaction with life among left-behind middle school students in China. Methods: A cluster random sampling approach surveyed students in Binhai County, Jiangsu, using a loneliness scale, a general self-efficacy scale, and a satisfaction-with-life scale. Results: Left-behind students reported higher loneliness, lower self-efficacy, and lower life satisfaction than non-left-behind peers, with gender differences. Loneliness negatively predicts satisfaction, while self-efficacy partially mediates. Conclusion: Family, school, and society should implement counseling interventions to reduce loneliness and enhance self-efficacy to sustain positive mental states.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Objective and Methods

Sampling and Measures

Results

Group Comparisons

Predictors and Mediation

Conclusion

Introduction

Background: Migrant Worker Wave and Left-Behind Children

Current Attention and Statistics

Research Rationale

The Relationship between Loneliness, Self-Efficacy, and Satisfaction with Life in Left-Behind Middle School Students in China: Taking Binhai County of Jiangsu Province as an Example Lei Jiang, 1 Mingyue Liao,2 Ronghua Ying2 1. Jiangsu Binhai Middle School, Yancheng 224000, Jiangsu, China 2. Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210097, Jiangsu, China Abstract. Objective: To explore the relationship between loneliness, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life ofLeft-behind middle school students in China. Methods: A cluster random sampling method was used to study students from Left-behind middle schools in Binhai County of Jiangsu Province. The loneliness scale, general self-efficacy scale, and satisfaction with life scale were used to conduct questionnaire surveys. Results: Compared with non-left behind middle school students, Leftbehind middle school students had higher loneliness, lower self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life. There were significant gender differences in loneliness and satisfaction with life of the two types ofstudents. Whether to live in school or not had an insignificant impact on the loneliness and satisfaction with life of Left-behind middle school students. Loneliness had a significant negative predictive effect on the satisfaction with Leftbehind middle school students ’ life and self-efficacy. In predicting satisfaction with life by loneliness, self-efficacy generally played apart ofthe mediating role, which could partially buffer the adverse effects of loneliness on student satisfaction with life. Conclusion: The mental health of left-behind middle school students should arouse the common concern offamily, school and society. Try todo some intervention counseling in reducing the experience of loneliness and enhancing the sense of self-efficacy to improve their satisfaction with life and maintain a positive mental state. | Best Evid Chin Edu 2020; 6(2):803-824.
Doi: 10.15354/bece.20.or034. | | --- | | How to Cite: Jiang, L., Liao M. Y. & Ying, R.H. (2020). The relationship between loneliness, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life in left-behind middle school students in China: Taking Binhai County ofJiangsu Province as an example. Best Evi
dence in Chinese Education, 6(2):803-824. | Keywords: Left-Behind Middle School Students; Loneliness; Self-Efficacy; Satisfaction with life About the Authors: Lei Jiang, Psychology Teacher, Jiangsu Binhai Middle School, Yancheng 224000, Jiangsu, China. Email: [1986477680@qq.com](1986477680@qq.com). Mingyue Liao, Master’s Degree Candidate, School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210097, Jiangsu, China. Email: [liaomingyueyes@163.com](liaomingyueyes@163.com). Correspondence to: Ronghua Ying, Experimental Teacher, School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210097, Jiangsu, China. Email: [13951969343@163.com](13951969343@163.com) Conflict of Interests: None. © 2020 Insights Publisher. All rights reserved. Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Crea tive Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by](http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by)nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed by the Insights Publisher. Introduction WITH the continuous development of China’s industrialization and urbaniza tion, many rural surplus laborers have poured into cities to look for jobs far away from their hometown, forming a “migrant worker wave” phenomenon. However, because they are restricted by the household registration (Hu Kou) policy, economic conditions, employment environment, urban enrollment conditions, and other factors, they usually do not bring their children with them into the city and can only leave them at the location of the household registration (Jiang, 2016; Tang et al., 2018) .

FAQs

What is the objective of the study?

The study examines the relationship between loneliness, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life among left-behind middle school students in China.

How were participants and variables measured?

A cluster random sampling method was used, and questionnaires collected data with a loneliness scale, a general self-efficacy scale, and a satisfaction-with-life scale.

What were the key findings about loneliness, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction?

Compared with non-left-behind students, left-behind students showed higher loneliness, lower self-efficacy, and lower satisfaction with life, along with significant gender differences in loneliness and satisfaction.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man