Mediating roles of perceived social support and hopelessness in the relationship between negative life events and self-identity acquisition among Chinese college students with left-behind and/or migrant experiences

These findings suggest that such dual experiences may lead to an increased perception of available support while simultaneously fostering despair that hinders the development toward acquiring a solid sense of identity. When individuals with left-behind experiences encounter feelings associated with despair following adverse life events, they tend to diminish their utilization of available supportive resources, which is not conducive to making positive and firm self-identity exploration and commitment.