@article{ref1,
title="Caregivers' mind-mindedness and rural left-behind young children's insecure attachment: the moderated mediation model of theory of mind and family status",
journal="Child abuse and neglect",
year="2022",
author="Yang, Rui and Zhang, Lijin and Wu, Xiujuan and Fu, Qianqian and Bao, Qing",
volume="124",
number="",
pages="e105472-e105472",
abstract="BACKGROUND: China's rapid development and urbanization since the early 1980s have compelled many rural residents to move from rural to urban areas for work, leaving thousands of children at home. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: This study tested the mediating effect of children's theory of mind on the relationship between caregivers' mind-mindedness and their children's insecure attachment differently depending on the different family status (the moderator) of left-behind and non-left-behind. PARTICIPANTS: The participants were 3 to 6 years old 74 left-behind children (LBHC) and 89 non-left-behind children (NLBHC). SETTINGS: Participants were from rural counties of central China in Henan province that has experienced a large labor migration. <br><br>METHODS: A cross-sectional moderated mediation model linked mind-mindedness (independent variable) and insecure attachment (dependent variable) through the theory of mind (mediator) and family status (moderator: left-behind/non-left-behind), controlling for age, gender, and siblings. <br><br>RESULTS: First, LBHC scored higher on insecure-disorganized attachment than NLBHC. Second, the early childhood theory of mind mediated the relationship between the caregiver's mind-mindedness and young children's insecure attachment. Third, family status moderated the effects of the theory of mind on insecure attachment. The mediating role was established only for the left-behind family, and the lower theory of mind ability was associated with the greater insecure attachment of LBHC. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the critical role of mind-mindedness, theory of mind, and family status in the attachment theory and clarify the association between different levels of young children's theory of mind and insecure attachment based on family status.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0145-2134",
doi="10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105472",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105472"
}