Different paths, same struggles: The effect of perceived Interparental conflict on internalizing/externalizing problem behaviors of left-behind and non-left-behind children

It is widely believed that children who witness or are involved in interparental conflicts often exhibit problem behaviors. However, for left-behind children (LBC) who have been separated from one or both parents for a long time and have avoided directly witnessing or being involved in interparental conflict, it remains to be investigated whether the level of their perception of interparental conflict, as well as the impact of perceived interparental conflict on their internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors, is different from that of non-LBC. A total of 900 Chinese children (622 LBC and 278 non-LBC) completed self-report questionnaires at two time points. The results showed that there was no significant difference between LBC and non-LBC in the level of perceived interparental conflict, whereas perceived interparental conflict directly predicted the LBC's internalizing problem behaviors and the non-LBC's externalizing problem behaviors. Moreover, self-compassion plays a mediating role between perceived interparental conflict and LBC's/non-LBC's internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. This study reveals that LBC can perceive the interparental conflict and thus exhibit internalizing problem behaviors. Highlighting key mechanisms of self-compassion, cultivating and improving the self-compassion in both LBC and non-LBC may be an effective measure to reduce the internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors.