Abstract

Objective

The objectives of this study were to explore emotional behavioral problems (EBP) associated with learning burnout (LB) among returned migrant middle school students. In addition, the mediating mechanism of internet addiction (IA) and social support (SS) in this relationship was investigated. We also verified the chain-mediating effect of IA and SS on the EBP of returned migrant middle school students and LB.

Methods

This study used the sample data collected from the 鈥淗ealth Status Survey of Middle School Students in Guizhou Province, China鈥� conducted by the research group. The baseline survey of 36 secondary schools from December 2021 to January 2022 in Guizhou Provine, China. Based on this sample data, middle school students who met the following conditions were selected as study subjects. 2020 returned migrant secondary school students were finally obtained as the subjects of this study. The Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ), Adolescent Student Burnout Scale (ASBI), Internet Addiction Test (IAT), and Social Support Scale (SSS) were used to assess EBP, LB, IA, and SS among returned migrant secondary school students. Serial multiple mediation analysis and the bootstrap method were used to investigate the mediation effects of IA and SS (PROCESS model 6).

Results

Prevalence of EBP was classified in the abnormal (11.9%) or borderline (17.1%) categories based on the total difficulties scores among returned migrant middle school students. A serial multiple mediation model was generated. The mediation effect of IA and SS on the pathway from LB to EBP was 31.25% (direct effect鈥�=鈥�0.373, total indirect effect鈥�=鈥�0.170). The association between LB and SS was partially mediated by IA (direct effect=-0.356, indirect effect=-0.065). The proposed model fits the data well.

Conclusion

This study found that lower IA and higher SS can effectively reduce EBP caused by LB among returned migrant middle school students. It is suggested that parents, schools, and government departments pay attention to IA and SS problems caused by LB in returned migrant middle school students, and prevent and avoid EBP. Returned migrant middle school students should take the initiative to identify the factors that harm their physical and mental health for self-regulation, and establish reliable SS, rather than meet psychological needs through IA, to reduce the occurrence of EBP.

Introduction

In 2016, there were 50听million migrant children globally, with 5.4听million of those in Europe, according to the United Nations Children鈥檚 Fund (UNICEF) [1]. 37听million children were migrants, according to data from the World Migration Report 2017 (for only international migrants) [2], nearly 14听million (or 39% of all migrant children worldwide, only those who were international) would reside in Asia in 2020, of all the migrant children worldwide, 11听million (31%) were from Europe and North America, over three times its percentage (9%) of the world鈥檚 children population, roughly 6.2听million migrant children reside in Africa (18%) [3]. China鈥檚 seventh population census estimates that there were 71.09听million migrant children in 2020, making up 23.9% of all children in the country, 138听million children overall were impacted by the migrant experience, making up 46.6% of all children in China, in comparison to 2010, the number of migrant children 35.81听million had doubled in China, with an average of one in four children being migrant children [4]. There were 9,590,100 migrants in the province of Guizhou in China during 2020. Within this category, 2,210,200 were migrant children, aged 0 to 14, and 4,284,500 were adolescents, aged 15 to 19 [5]. However, many migrant children returned to the place of household registration (also known as the 鈥�outflow place鈥�) to continue receiving compulsory education or to adjust to the education and examination in the outflow place earlier due to a variety of factors, including the household registration management system, the education and examination system, and the distribution of public resources in the non-household registration (鈥�inflow place鈥�). To complete their mandatory education or to prepare for the schooling and exams in the 鈥�outflow area鈥�, many migrant children returned to their place of household registration (the 鈥渙utflow area鈥�). According to the Report on the Development of Education for Migrant Children in China (2019鈥�2020), 鈥�returned migrant children鈥� are those under the age of eighteen who have followed one or both of their parents (including stepparents and adoptive parents) out of the outflow area to live or attend school in the inflow area where they have been employed for at least six months [6]. According to the study, middle school students are more likely to return migrants because of several factors, including household registration and local education policies. Therefore, returned migrant middle school students are the middle school students among returned migrant children, including junior high, senior high, and vocational school students (referred to as 鈥�secondary vocational students鈥�) [7]. Rough estimates from a 2009 sample poll by the All-China Women鈥檚 Federation indicate that approximately 3.5听million (15%) of the migratory children have returned to their original locations [8], the first time returned migrant children have been spotted in public. In 2022, statistics show that there were 1.032听million students in compulsory education schools in Yulin, China, of which the total number of returned migrant children was 11,000, accounting for 1.09% [9]. The policy reasons for the maladaptation of returned migrant children are the disparity in educational resources and the urban-rural divide. The process of readjusting returned migrant children to their new environment can be fraught with difficulties, including psychological issues and a diminished sense of familial belonging. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders, hospitalizations, and the spread of infectious diseases, for instance, were higher among returned migrant children and adolescents than among non-returned migrant children and adolescents, according to a foreign study by Vuorenkoski et al. on 320 returned migrant children and adolescents from Sweden to Finland. This difference might be attributed to increased anxiety and pressure brought on by the experience of being returned [10]. Qiao et al. investigated the data from rural schools in the provinces of Anhui, Hunan, and Jiangxi in China. Their findings revealed that the returned migrant experience significantly impacted the learning environment, effectiveness, and attitude of rural children, as well as other learning adaption content [11]. Research from both domestic and international sources has demonstrated that returned migrant experience and the process itself can have a substantial impact on the mental health issues that children and adolescents face. However, the majority of current studies concentrate on depression, sleep quality, and the physical and mental health of these individuals [12], the unique group of returned migrant children has received less attention when it comes to emotional behavioral problems (EBP) and other issues that jeopardize their physical and mental health. Especially, hardly much attention has been paid to returned migrant middle school students.

EBP is defined as the severity and duration of children鈥檚 emotional reactions and behaviors exceeding the normal range allowed by the corresponding age [13]. Emotional problems, also known as internalized problems, refer to issues affecting children鈥檚 internal psychological characteristics, including anxiety, depression, withdrawal, fear, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, etc. Behavioral issues, also known as externalized problems, reflect children鈥檚 negative reactions to the external environment, including conduct problems, antisocial behavior, attention deficit/hyperactivity, oppositional defiance, aggressive behavior, and disciplinary behavior, etc [14]. Migrant children reported much more severe EBP than local children of the same age, according to a meta-analysis that included a dataset of 4,600 migrant and 5,000 local children [15]. This suggested that migration may be a risk factor for EBP in children. It is known that the impact of the returned migration experience on a person鈥檚 life course may be a long-term longitudinal accumulation process across the life course cycle, which inevitably means that it is separated from the original life estimation and changes the learning, living, and social environment. This knowledge is based on the life course theory and the ecosystem theory. Their disinterest in learning activities and possibly even learning burnout (LB) are possible outcomes [16]. Research has indicated that LB was a risk for depression, school dropout, and self-harm [17]. Individual, familial, and social factors are currently the key contributors influencing EBP. Family factors primarily include parental rejection, emotional warmth from parents, and age [15], social factors primarily include social migration and social support [18], individual factors primarily include demographic characteristics (gender, age, etc.) and physiological-psychological factors (anxiety, depression, study status, internet addiction, etc.) [19]. Among them, are depression, sleep quality, and Internet addiction are the most prevalent issues among returned migrant children. As a special group brought by social and family migration, are returned migrant children more likely to promote EBP if they are additionally impacted by factors like LB, internet addiction, and social support? Therefore, using internet addiction and social support as mediating factors, this study will investigate how LB affects the EBP of returned migrant middle school students.

The relationship between LB and EBP in returned migrant middle school students

Defined as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased personal success due to course stress, course load, or other psychological elements in the educational process, LB is a negative psychological condition of student learning. Self-regulatory mechanisms in depression and anxiety eventually fail due to the progressive depletion of self-regulatory resources that occurs with the formation of LB [20]. In an investigation of 713 transnationally returned migrant children in Greece between the ages of 10 and 12, Palaiologou discovered that these children struggled with social, linguistic, and cultural integration, they also performed worse in school and their interpersonal interactions and they lacked a sense of identity-related to their learning, living, and other environments [21]. Li et al. discovered that a considerable percentage of returned migrant children had declining attitudes toward learning, more learning pressure, and worse academic and mental health performance than non-returned migrant children in a study of 17,924 4th to 5th-grade students in China [12]. Long-term academic issues, such as academic stress, anxiety, and subpar performance, cause LB in students, as demonstrated by a study conducted by Xu et al. on 1,130 undergraduate students in a southern Chinese city [22]. The conservation theory and the loss spiral effect of the resource conservation model state that people will deplete resources when they are trying to cope with stress. People who are low on resources are not only more susceptible to the pressure that comes with depleting resources, but they will also be more likely to invest in other resources that are frequently beyond their means due to this pressure, which will accelerate resource loss. Individual resources and adaptation are tightly related. Burnout develops in proportion to the degree of adaptability [23, 24]. Children and adolescents who exhibit LB may experience a range of negative emotions, including depression, anxiety, and academic pressure, duo to external factors that cause them to lose motivation or interest in learning, despite this, they are still required to complete their learning activities [25]. The association between LB and EBP, however, is not supported by empirical data, particularly when it comes to certain populations like returned migrant middle school students.

Internet addiction plays a mediating role between LB and EBP of returned migrant middle school students

A type of behavioral addiction known as Internet addiction (IA) is a mental and behavioral illness brought on by recurrently excessive usage of the Internet, the primary indicator of IA is an intense psychological need to use the Internet, and quitting or cutting back on use is linked to withdrawal symptoms, physical and mental health issues, and other clinical traits [26]. Cheng et al. conducted a meta-analysis of 42 trials and discovered that the global detection rate of IA was 38.6% [27]. The range of 2.4鈥�37.9% is the detection rate of IA in Asian teenagers [28]. A meta-analysis of 26 research conducted in China revealed that 11% of Chinese children and adolescents have IA [29]. Teenagers鈥� physiological changes, psychological state, health-risky activities, early life stress, school type, and heightened vulnerability to psychosocial stresses all have an impact on their risk of developing IA [30]. In addition to lacking access to resources like parental supervision, altered living conditions, opportunities for interpersonal communication, and education, vulnerable populations like migrant children may also be more negatively impacted by IA in terms of their physical and mental development than typical children [31]. In China, 1287 migrant children between the ages of 8 to 17 were researched by Guo et al., they discovered that the detection rate of IA in migrant children was 14.3% and that there may be a connection between IA and migrant children鈥檚 higher risk of depression [31]. An empirical investigation by Qin et al. with 554 Chinese secondary school students ages 13 to 18 revealed a favorable correlation between LB and IA [32]. This implies that teenagers were more likely to be at increased risk of IA with a higher level of LB. It was established that LB predicted excessive Internet use and excessive Internet use predicted LB in a reciprocal cross-lag path between LB and LB in Finland. This suggested that excessive Internet use may be the cause of LB and that the path may eventually lead to depressive symptoms [33]. Maslow鈥檚 Hierarchy of Needs theory states that children and adolescents require a variety of outlets for their negative emotions since they not only have to deal with the pressures of family, job, and school, but they also struggle to decompress in real life [34]. According to a study conducted by Li et al. on 1,485 college students in Henan Province, China, the likelihood of developing LB and the degree of depression expression is positively correlated with IA [35]. A few studies have looked at the mediating function of IA between EBP and LB, particularly in studies of returned migrant middle school students, even though prior empirical and theoretical investigations have verified the positive link between LB, IA, and EBP.

Social support plays a mediating role between LB and EBP in returned migrant middle school students

Social support (SS) is the material and spiritual support that one receives from friends, family, classmates, and other relatives. It is a valuable personal resource that one possesses and aids in maintaining one鈥檚 physical and emotional well-being [36]. The resource conservation theory states that SS is one of the resources that can help prevent burnout and that the perspective of resource acquisition and loss helps to explain the symptoms of burnout, including stress and weariness [37]. It was established that there was a negative correlation between LB and SS in a study including 902 university students in Finland [38]. According to the buffering theory paradigm, SS helps people cope with stress by acting as a buffer through their perceptions, protecting their physical and mental health, and lessening the detrimental consequences of stress [39]. Rehman et al. investigated 486 Chinese college students between the ages of 18 and 35 and discovered that LB may have an impact on mental health issues via the SS mediation effect [40]. According to Hatamian鈥檚 research, which involved 125 Iranian college students, there is a strong positive correlation between emotional disorder and LB and a significant negative correlation between SS and LB [41]. As a result, SS acts as an essential buffer resource, helping people lessen the effects of unfavorable circumstances and relieve burnout brought on by an unbalanced resource allocation. Direct proof of a negative correlation between SS and depression was also offered by a meta-analysis [42]. SS is a valuable tool for avoiding EBP, according to an empirical study of 289 autistic children in China [43]. It has been shown that SS has a buffering impact on a variety of mental health issues (such as mood disorders, depression, and burnout) as well as harmful behavioral consequences (such as suicidal thoughts and IA) [44, 45]. Prior research has demonstrated that EBP can negatively impact emotions of social support because of LB, particularly by causing a decline in family closeness and school attendance [46]. Teenagers鈥� LB will therefore not be lessened if they do not receive sufficient SS, which obliquely contributes to the development of EBP. Theoretical underpinnings and empirical research concur that there is a point correlation between LB, EBP, and SS among adolescents in general. However, it is unclear how SS mediates the relationship between LB and EBP among migrant children, particularly for returned migrant middle school students with EBP.

The chain mediating effect of IA and SS

Positive family interactions and secure attachments can reduce IA in children, which in turn reduces their anxiety and depression [31]. Children see contact and support from peers and teachers in addition to their families, which encourages them to maintain social connections and resist developing an Internet addiction [47]. Conversely, children who receive insufficient SS may be more susceptible to IA [31]. Low levels of parental supervision and high levels of emotional neglect may increase the risk of IA in returned migrant children. Returned migrant children with poor teacher-student and peer relationships or suffering from peer rejection are more likely to develop IA [48]. However, previous studies have also found a two-way relationship between IA and SS [49]. Social replacement theory [50] suggests that children have to sacrifice social interactions with family and peers due to the amount of time spent in the virtual online world, which leads to a lack of SS from these significant others. However, previous studies have only explored the associations between LB and SS with mobile phone access [49]. as well as the relationships between SS, resilience, stress, anxiety, and depression [51], and the correlation between depression, anxiety, stress, SS, resilience, and IA [52]. Furthermore, few studies have examined the chain mediation effects of IA and SS on EBP and LB; most empirical research has concentrated on the effects of LB, SS, and IA on a single component of EBP in the general population. In summary, we propose to hypothesize that, in the case of returned migrant middle school students, LB and IA have good effects on EBP and SS has negative effects on EBP. Additionally, we proposed that LB鈥檚 influence on EBP is chain mediation by IA and SS in Fig.听1.

Fig. 1

Hypothetical serial multiple mediation model

Methods

Participants

The research group 鈥淗ealth Status Survey of Middle School Students in Guizhou Province, China鈥� provided the sample population for this study, which consisted of middle school students registered in the province (excluding junior high, high school, and vocational secondary school students who were not enrolled in school for various reasons, declined to be investigated, or experienced other mental health issues during the investigation period) [53]. In this sample population, combined with the definition of returned migrant middle school students in this study [6, 7], subjects: middle school students (junior middle school students, high school students, and vocational middle students) who have had the experience of living or studying (鈮モ��6 months) with both parents (including step-parents, adoptive parents) or one parent leaving their place of residence (鈥減lace of outflow鈥�) to the place where they work (鈥減lace of inflow鈥�). This study was approved by the Human Experimentation Ethics Committee of Guizhou Medical University (2021, Lun Audit 229).

Study data

The 鈥淗ealth Status Survey of Middle School Students in Guizhou Province, China鈥� sample data, which was a baseline survey conducted from December 2021 to January 2022 among 36 middle schools in Guizhou Province, China, provided the data for this study. The survey mainly includes general demographic characteristics (gender, ethnicity, place of origin, family economic status, grade, only child, etc.), Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ), Adolescent Student Burnout Scale (ASBI), Internet Addiction Test (IAT), and Social Support Scale (SSS) et al. Before the survey, each investigator explained the purpose, filling method and attention items of the questionnaire, and explained that the survey was anonymous participation.When the questionnaire is collected, check the contents of the questionnaire and collect it one by one. If it is found that the questionnaire is not complete, return it immediately and continue to fill in the questionnaire for recycling. After collecting the questionnaire, check whether the questionnaire is complete and logical again. If the missing items in the questionnaire reach 5%, the questionnaire will be judged as invalid. The multi-stage stratified cluster random sample method is primarily used, and all cities (states) are classified into three categories based on Guizhou Province鈥檚 overall GDP level in 2020: high, moderate, and poor. A single city (state), comprising Zunyi City, Qiannan State, and Qiandongnan State, was chosen at random from each floor. In contrast, a total of 36 middle schools (6 junior middle schools, 4 high schools, and 2 vocational middle schools) were also chosen at random from each city (state). Four classes were chosen at random from each floor after each grade level was stratified, for a total of 14 classes (a total of 432 classes) selected from each school. During the investigation, 18,838 questionnaires were distributed; 1233 students returned incomplete surveys, yielding a 93.45% recovery rate. 16,216 student questionnaires were ultimately included for examination in the first two data analyses, yielding an effective recovery rate of 92.11% [53]. Based on this sample size, 2,020 returned migrant middle school students were chosen as the research subjects based on the previously mentioned exclusion screening. These included 1,020 male students (50.5%) and 1000 female students (49.5%), ages ranging from 11 to 21 years old, with an average age of (15.55鈥壜扁��1.87), as well as 751 junior middle school students (37.2%). 923 high school students (55.1%), 346 vocational students (17.1%), 667 year 1 students (33.5%), 731 year 2 students (36.2%), and 612 year 3 students (30.3%) in Fig.听2.

Measures

SDQ is a brief behavioral screening questionnaire developed by American psychologist Goodman R [54]. according to the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychosis (DSM-IV) and the 10th Edition of the Classification of Mental and Behavioral Classification (ICD-10) to assess the EBP of children and adolescents. The questionnaire was revised by Du [55] et al. of Shanghai Mental Health Center, and the norm was established in Shanghai of China [56]. Five dimensions, including emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity problems, peer interaction problems, and prosocial behavior were added together to form the total score of difficulty. The higher the total score of difficulty, the more serious the EBP existed. 0鈥墌鈥�15 was normal, 16鈥�19 was borderline level, and 20鈥�40 was abnormal. The prosocial behavior dimension is used to evaluate the merits of middle school students, and the higher the score, the stronger the prosociality of children and adolescents. Previous studies have verified the effectiveness and reliability of SDQ [56]. Cronbach鈥檚 伪 coefficient in this study is 0.715, indicating good reliability.

ASBI was compiled by Wu [57] et al. based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) to evaluate adolescent LB [58]with a total of 16 items. Three dimensions were included: physical and mental exhaustion (4 items), academic alienation (5 items), and low sense of accomplishment (7 items). Each item ranges from 1 (completely disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) and is scored on a five-point Likert scale. The validity and reliability of the ASBI have been previously tested [59]. The scale coefficient of Cronbach鈥檚 伪 in this study was 0.812.

SSS in the Chinese version was used to evaluate SS [60]. Three quantifiable dimensions comprised 17 items in the questionnaire: support utilization (6 items), objective support (6 items), and subjective support (5 items). Every item was assessed using a five-point Likert scale, from 鈥渋nconsistent鈥� to 鈥渃onsistent鈥� with 1 to 5 points. The total score of the scale, which represents the participants鈥� overall social support status, is the sum of the scores for each of the 17 items. Previous research has examined the validity and reliability of social support scores [61]. The scale employed in this investigation had a Cronbach鈥檚 伪 of 0.948.

IAT is a scale designed by Young based on pathological gambling diagnostic criteria, which covers tolerance, withdrawal, craving, and negative effects of Internet use, and is used to assess whether there is a tendency to IA and its severity [62]. A five-point Likert scoring system was used to evaluate all 20 items; the range for 鈥渘o鈥� to 鈥渁lways鈥� was 1鈥�5, and the final score ranged from 20 to 100. based on Young鈥檚 proposed classification system. Twenty to thirty was the non-IA total score, and thirty to one hundred was the IA total score [63]. (E.g.Liu Wei [64] 8595 college students were tested, the average age of the surveyed students was 21.11鈥壜扁��1.13 years old. There were 6660 college students with mild Internet dependence, accounting for 77.49%, whose scores ranged from 20 to 49. There were 361 Internet dependent college students who scored鈥夆墺鈥�50 points on Yong鈥檚 scale, accounting for 4.20% of the surveyed population. Among them, 320 college students with moderate Internet dependence score of 50鈥�79 were surveyed, accounting for 3.72%; There were 41 college students with heavy Internet dependence who scored 80 to 100 points, accounting for 0.48% of the surveyed population.) Zhang deduced from the test results that the group with Internet dependence is defined as having a score of 50 or more, while the group without Internet dependence is defined as having a score of less than 50. Previous tests have been conducted to verify the validity and reliability of the Internet addiction test questionnaire [65]. (E.g.The sample for measuring the Chinese version of the scale was from 844 secondary school students in a Hong Kong secondary school [66] the mean age was 15.71 years. According to the total score of IAT, 25 (3.0%) had severe Internet addiction tendency, and 267 (31.6%) had general Internet addiction.) Cronbach鈥檚 伪鈥�=鈥�0.921 was used for the scale in this study.

Statistical analysis

IBM SPSS25.0 for Windows was used to describe the general demographic characteristics of the survey objects with ($\:\stackrel{-}{X}$卤S), composition ratio rate, etc. The distribution of the EBP detection rate among returned migrant students with various demographic attributes, including gender, type of school, and race, was examined using the Kruskal-Wallid H-rank sum test. Statistical significance relevant demographic characteristics were transformed into ranks, and the resulting ranks were used as the analytical data. Bonferroni method was used to compare the EBP detection rate of returned migrant middle school students with statistical significance among multiple groups, and the corrected test level 伪鈥�=鈥�0.0167. The association between EBP and LB, IA, SS, and other variables was investigated using Pearson correlation analysis. A macro program called Process3.4.1 was used to analyze the mediating effect (Model 6) with LB score as the independent variable, EBP total score as the dependent variable, and IA and SS as the mediating variables (Model 6) [49], The program鈥檚 goal was to examine the impact of LB on EBP and the chain mediating effect between IA and SS. 伪鈥�=鈥�0.05 served as the statistical significance threshold.

Fig. 2

Flowchart of the sample date

Results

Comparison of EBP detection rate in returned migrant middle school students with different characteristics

The detection rates of EBP total difficulties, conduct problems, emotional symptom problems, peer interaction problems, hyperactivity problems, and pro-social behavior problems of returned migrant middle school students were 17.1%, 10.7%, 5.7%, 34.2%, 12.1%, and 19.4% at the borderline level, and 11.9%, 8.6%, 9.4%, 7.7%, 12.6%, and 12.9% abnormal, respectively. A one-way ordinal rank sum test compared the EBP difficulty detection rate of returned migrant middle school students with different social demographic characteristics. The results showed that, compared with the detection rate of normal, for gender, academic stage, family economic status, family type, perceived academic achievement, perceived academic pressure, family relationship, classmate relationship, and teacher-student relationship, there were statistically significant differences among detection rate of borderline and abnormal(P鈥�<鈥�0.05). There were no significant differences among other social demographic characteristics in Table听1(P鈥�>鈥�0.05). Bonferroni method was used to compare the EBP detection rate of returned migrant middle school students with statistical significance among multiple groups, and the corrected test level 伪鈥�=鈥�0.0167. Junior high school and secondary vocational school were higher than senior high school. Family economic condition was poor, general was greater than good. The harmonious relationship between family, classmates-teachers, and students, is generally more than not harmonious. Perceived poor academic performance, medium than good. The perceived academic pressure was very high and generally greater than no in Table听1(P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.0167).

Table 1 Comparison of the total difficulty detection rate of EBP in different socio-demographic characteristics among returned migrant middle school students in Guizhou, China[n(%)]

The relationship between LB, IA, SS, and EBP in returned migrant middle school students

To preliminarily explore the relationship between LB, IA, SS, and EBP, pearson correlation analyses were performed between LB and IA scores, SS scores, and EBP total scores. The results of the analyses showed that LB was positively correlated with IA score and EBP total score, and negatively correlated with SS score. (r鈥�=鈥�0.397, P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.01; r鈥�=鈥�0.578, P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.01; r鈥�=鈥�0.-475, P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.01); IA was positively correlated with EBP score and negatively correlated with SS score (r鈥�=鈥�0.438, P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.01; r = -0.306, P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.01); SS score was negatively correlated with EBP score in Table听2 (r = -0.475, P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.01).

Table 2 Association between EBP and learning burnout, depression, and sleep quality in returned migrant middle school students

Regression analyses of LB, IA, and SS on EBP in returned migrant middle school students

Controlling for demographics such as gender and academic stage, the Model 6 in Process program used further mediation effect tests of IA and SS, and Bootstrap sampling 5000 times. Parameter estimates for the regression equations in the model are given in Fig.听3; Table听3. LB were significantly positive predictors of IA (尾鈥�=鈥�0.571, P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.001) and EBP (尾鈥�=鈥�0.224, P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.001), with significant negative prediction of SS (尾=-0.475, P鈥�<鈥�0.05). IA was a significantly positive predictor of EBP (尾鈥�=鈥�0.075, P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.001), with the significant negative prediction of SS (尾=-0.125, P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.001), SS was a significantly negative predictor of EBP (尾=-0.069, P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.001).

Fig. 3

Association of LB, IA, and SS with EBP in returned migrant middle school students. ^*P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.01 ^**P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.001

Table 3 Regression analysis of LB, IA, SS, and EBP

The mediating role of IA and SS

To process covariates before confirming the chain mediation effect, the results of the mediation effect are shown in Table听4; Fig.听4, and the total effect was significant with the effect value of 0.544, 95% CI: 0.510鈥墌鈥�0.576, excluding 0, and the total mediation effect was 9.25%. Indirect effect 1 (LB鈫扞A鈫扙BP) was significant, IA played a partial role between LB and EBP, the effect value of 0.082, 95% CI: 0.039鈥墌鈥�0.061, excluding 0, mediation effect accounted for 15.07%. The indirect effect 2 (LB鈫扴S鈫扙BP) was significant, and SS played a partial intermediary role between the LB and EBP, the effect value was 0.074, 95% CI: 0.033鈥墌鈥�0.056, excluding 0, and the mediation effect accounted for 15.32%. The effect of chain mediation (LB鈫扞A鈫扴S鈫扙BP) was significant, IA and SS play a chain mediating role between LB and EBP among returned migrant middle school students, with an effect value of 0.014, 95% CI: 0.005鈥墌鈥�0.012, excluding 0, and mediation effect accounted for 2.57%. Therefore, the relationship between LB and EBP includes both the partial mediating effect of IA and SS and the chain mediating effect of IA and SS.

Table 4 The chain mediation role of IA and SS in the relationship between LB and EBP

Fig. 4

Serial multiple mediation model between IA and SS in the effects of LB on EBP. Note: Indirect effect 1: LB鈫扞A鈫扙BP; indirect effect 2: LB鈫扴S鈫扙BP, Indirect effect 3: LB鈫扞A鈫扴S鈫扙BP; ^*P鈥�&濒迟;鈥�0.001, LS鈥�=鈥塴earning stage, TOF鈥�=鈥塗ype of family, FES鈥�=鈥塅amily economic status, PAR鈥�=鈥塸erceived academic record, PAP鈥�=鈥塸erceived academic pressure, FR鈥�=鈥塮amily relationship, PR鈥�=鈥塸eer relationship, TR鈥�=鈥塼eacher-student relationship

Discussion

This study constructed a multiple-chain mediation model with IA and SS as mediators to explain the relationship between LB and the EBP among returned migrant middle school students. Empirical evidence strongly supports our hypothesized chain mediation model, which highlighted how LB influenced the EBP of returned migrant middle school students through IA and SS, with an overall mediation effect of 31.25%. This study has had a substantial influence on educational practice and has substantially expanded the corpus of information in the field of amblyopia research among returned migrant middle school students. Particularly in China, an estimated 292听million migrant laborers make up more than one-third of the working force in the nation. Of these, cross-provincial migrant workers make up 55.6% of the workforce in central China, 47.5% in western China, 31.4% in northeast China, and 15.0% in eastern China. Western China has the second-highest concentration of cross-provincial migrant laborers after Central China [67]. In the GDP ranking of China鈥檚 31 provinces in 2023, Guizhou province ranked 22nd. Therefore, to achieve China鈥檚 poverty alleviation goals and strengthen the East-West labor collaboration, 34.61听million people in the province have been working outside the province [68]. More parents are choosing to work in the more economically developed eastern and central regions, however, middle school students may be more likely to return to migration due to factors including China鈥檚 household registration system and education policy (China鈥檚 compulsory education resources are geographically restricted) [7]. However, domestic researchers mainly focus on the psychological and learning status of returned migrant children in economically developed central and eastern regions [69]. The emergence and influencing factors of returned migrant middle school students鈥� problem behaviors such as EBP have not been considered. According to this survey, the returned migrant middle school students of Guizhou Province account for 12.5% of the total sample size, which can be used as reference data for the proportion of EBP among returned migrant middle school students in Western China. The EBP borderline level and abnormal detection rates were 17.1% and 11.9%, respectively. Among SDQ subscales, the total detection rates of borderline level and abnormal were the highest in peer relationship problems (34.2% and 7.7%), and the highest abnormal detection rates were in prosocial behavior problems (12.9%). It might be because of the 鈥渢wo-way exclusion鈥� that exists between outflow residents and returned migrant middle school students: on the one hand, because of the stark psychological differences between inflow and outflow, returned migrant middle school students will experience a great sense of deprivation, and a sense of helplessness to alter the current circumstances due to the conflict between the realistic choice that is forced to migrant. Returned migrant middle school students are not yet mentally mature, and they are not able to deal with their life situations rationally and objectively. As a result, individuals frequently display unpleasant feelings including discomfort, discontent, exclusion, and scorn. On the other hand, because they have been there for a long time and have developed a strong sense of group identity, the people in the outflow area will naturally label the just recruited members of the group as 鈥渙utsiders,鈥� which will cause the locals to reject them [9]. As a result, due to their disparate life experiences, returned migrant middle school children may find it challenging to fit in with their peers, which raises the risk of prosocial behavior issues and peer problems.

The predictive effect of LB on EBP of returned migrant middle school students

The results of this study suggested that LB had a positive effect on the EBP of returned migrant secondary school students. In an in-depth interview conducted in a rural middle school in China with fifteen returned migrant students, Tian [70] found that returned migrant middle school students鈥� learning attituded deteriorated, the learning pressure increased due to the poor educational supervision by guardians and the discontinuity of school education, and the advantages accumulated in the inflow area schools in terms of foreign languages, computers, comprehensive education, and Putonghua were gradually lost. In 320 returned migrant children, ages 7 to 16, who had returned migration to Finland from Sweden, Vuorenkoski [71] et al. conducted longitudinal research and discovered that the returned migrant children performed worse academically and were more neurotic and depressed than the migrant children. These subpar results might be summed up as depersonalization, diminished personal success, and emotional tiredness. They were negative psychological reflections of learning. According to Jin et al.鈥榮 research, autonomous motivation was both directly and indirectly linked to higher levels of psychosocial well-being through lower levels of academic burnout in 673 Chinese international students from five provinces in South Korea [72]. These findings are consistent with the conservation theory and the resource maintenance model. LB itself is a depletion and loss of psychological resources in learning, which can place adolescents in a state of stress, while at the same time increasing the likelihood of experiencing secondary stressors. This can set off a 鈥渃hain reaction鈥� of resource loss, leaving adolescents with fewer resources and a greater likelihood of adjustment issues, which are mental health issues [73]. EBP is a prevalent mental health issue that, in terms of duration and severity, is above average for the relevant age [74]. Consequently, because of changes in their learning, lives, and other social environments, returned migrant middle school students may experience LB, which could result in mental health issues like EBP.

The mediating role of IA

According to this study, LB positively affected IA, and IA positively affected EBP. IA, a major behavioral addiction problem, had a large mediation role in the link between LB and EBP, with an effect share of 15.07%. As of December 2021, the average weekly online time for domestic Internet users was 26.2听h, according to the 5th National Survey Report on Internet Use of Minors by China Youth Net. Of these users, students made up the largest percentage (21%), and Internet adolescent IA made up 14% of the population, or 24听million [75]. According to the theory of Internet compensation, people who experience negative life circumstances or stages of personal development due to internal or external factors will develop pathological compensation. In other words, long-term burnout, emotional exhaustion, and changes in learning and life circumstances may make it simple for returned migrant middle school students to pathologically compensate for the Internet, which can result in the occurrence of IA [76]. In 501 junior high school students and 540 senior high school students in China, Hu et al. conducted an empirical investigation and discovered that IA and LB significantly and positively predicted mental health issues in children and teenagers [77]. In a study including 532 migrant students in Italy between the ages of 9 to 20, Valtolina [78] et al. discovered that migratory conditions might be a risk factor for IA. Adolescence is a critical time when people go from being immature to becoming mature, and it is at this time that they must learn a variety of abilities. People鈥檚 cognitive resources are limited at the same time. When returned migrant middle school students spend most of their time on the Internet, they will be less able to master new skills and become less socially adaptive. To prevent EBP brought on by excessive IA, parents should stay informed about their children鈥檚 interactions, behaviors, and lives. This will help them identify and address their children鈥檚 IA problems early on. Additionally, returned migrant middle school students should be encouraged to use the Internet鈥檚 information resources to expand their knowledge.

The mediating role of SS

This study demonstrated that SS had an intermediary influence (effect ratio: 13.60%) between LB and EBP, with LB negatively affecting SS and SS affecting EBP. The resource conservation hypothesis and the social support buffer theory are supported by this finding. It has been demonstrated that SS functions as a protective factor against stress and health, mitigating the negative consequences of stress psychology and enhancing an individual鈥檚 psychological well-being [79, 80]. According to research, LB is a bad feeling that gradually erodes adolescents鈥� meager resources and impairs self-control [81]. In a study of 684 Chinese undergraduate students, Zhang [82] et al. verified that SS negatively predicted LB. According to a mate analysis, asking friends or family to seek SS was negatively connected with burnout at work [83]. The returned migrant experience alters social resource environments, including educational opportunities, interpersonal relationships, and social skills; therefore, the absence of sufficient social support networks may contribute to mental health issues among returned migrant middle school students. In a middle school in Guangdong Province, Wen conducted in-depth interviews with 6 returned migrant middle school students and discovered that [84], in comparison to non-returned migrant middle school students, returned migrant middle school students had difficulties with learning and interpersonal adaptability. Studies have confirmed that, having a strong social support network can help adolescents cope with negative emotional reactions like depression and anxiety. It can also prevent the emergence of extraverted problematic behaviors like fighting and truancy, as well as health-risky behaviors like alcohol and smoking [85]. Conversely, people with lower SS are more prone to experience negative emotions, react negatively to situations all the time, and develop LB. Xiong [86] et al. investigated 1,630 migrant children in China between the ages of 10 to 15, SS could lessen the detrimental impacts of relative deprivation on pro-social behavioral issues in migrant students. Yusef Karimi [87] et al. conducted a random sampling survey on 8 faculties and 300 students from 3 colleges of Allameh Tabatabai University and found that students with a low LB degree had a higher SS degree than those with a high LB degree. The source of SS made students feel cared for and interested. This feeling of being valued and close improves students鈥� academic performance and reduces LB.

Chain mediation of IA and SS

With a total indirect mediating effect of 2.57%, the current study contributed to the body of research supporting the chain mediating role of IA and SS in the EBP of LB on returned migrant middle school students, which has not been examined in previous studies. IA mediated the link between LB and SS along the chain mediation channel between LB and EBP, and LB might hurt SS by raising IA. However, it was found that for left-behind middle school students, who were similar to returned migrant middle school students, migrant parents mainly focused on their children鈥檚 physical health and education, ignored their mental health and psychological problems, and received less parental care and attention. and less SS from family, school, and peers [48]. Inadequate SS leads to left-behind middle school students spending more time on mobile phones and computers, which may lead to IA behaviors [31]. Previous studies have found that returned migrant middle school students and left-behind middle school students have more IA and lack social support networks [84], and long-term IA not only affects the academic performance of returned migrant middle school students but also affects their mental health [8]. Fan et al. found that family support can affect left-behind students鈥� psychological distress through the mediating role of IA, which also supports the view of the cognitive behavioral model [48]. The cognitive-behavioral model states that because of poor parenting, inadequate care, and a negative parent-child dynamic, neglected left-behind students become addicted to using cell phones, watching videos, and playing online games. Prolonged problematic Internet use can also result in behavioral issues like aggression and cyberbullying [88]. Furthermore, the Internet compensation theory postulates that returned migrant middle school students who have experienced extended periods of parental separation and lack of normal parental care and education may encounter adverse life events, including academic stress and learning disabilities. They 鈥渃ompensate鈥� for these negative experiences and poor interpersonal relationships by spending much time on the Internet [31]. The continuous cognition of stress, LB, and IA of returned migrant middle school students needs to be improved through self-regulation, which is the default response of individuals to psychological and physiological threats. The core of self-regulation is that individuals can recognize these safety signals and inhibit continuous cognition and related responses [89]. Results from meta-analyses suggest that increases in health risk behaviors (substance use, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet, and smoking) are associated with a rumination drive in persistent cognition [90]. IA is regarded as a health risk behavior for substance abuse in returned migrant middle school students, self-regulation of continuous cognition may help to prevent and avoid IA, thus lowering the risk of EBP [91]. However, there is a limit to the ability of returned migrant middle school students to recognize hazards. To provide children with a peaceful and loving home environment, parents should also promptly comprehend the child鈥檚 life, learning, psychological, and other aspects of the situation. They should also learn to regulate and control their negative emotions and provide more positive feedback, such as praise and encouragement. They should also learn to regulate and control their negative emotions and provide more positive feedback, such as praise and encouragement. To create official social support networks, the government and educational institutions should simultaneously actively encourage the growth of school social work programs and take part in the establishment of urban and rural service stations. To facilitate the better integration of returned migrant middle school students into their new lives, it is important to foster positive relationships between teachers and students as well as between peers [84].

Conclusion

In summary, the results of this study are innovative. This serial multiple mediation model is the first to examine the mediating role of IA and SS in the relationship between LB and EBP among returned migrant middle school students. It fills a gap in the EBP of returned migrant middle school students and its relationship to physical and mental health. We found that IA and SS can serve as one potential mechanism by which LB is linked to EBP. Moreover, IA and SS may mediate the association between LB and EBP. LB was positively associated with IA, then negatively associated with SS, which in turn negatively contributed to EBP. We suggest greater Internet use monitoring, establishing reliable SS, and prevention of LB and IA to mitigate the risk of EBP among returned migrant middle school students.

Limitation

First, the cross-sectional nature of this analysis hindered the establishment of a causal model to explain the correlations investigated in this study. Therefore, some caution should be exercised when interpreting the findings. Further investigations adopting experimental or longitudinal models are warranted to identify causal trends between LB, IA, SS, and EBP and to better understand the specific effects of this relationship. Second, cross-sectional data can only show returned migrant middle school students for horizontal differences in EBP and its determinants. The long-term effects of parental migration on EBP in returned migrant middle school students cannot be evaluated. In addition, since we adopted self-reported measures in this study, response biases may have been inevitably introduced.