Emotional and Behavioural Problems in Left-Behind Children and Perceived Maternal Parenting Styles

Abstract

Over 2 million children are left behind by the emigrant household under the care of a single parent or under the care of relatives.  Parenting stress and child behavior feed each other, creating a vulnerability in children to develop emotional and behavioural issues. In Kerala, with over 2 million left-behind children, parenting is carried out primarily by the non-migrant mothers who reside with the children in their home country when their husbands migrated in order to provide for their families. The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between perceived maternal parenting styles and the emotional and behavioural problems in left-behind children.