Children’s Delinquency in Rural China: The Additive and Interactional Effects of Parental Divorce and Parental Migration

Abstract Extensive research has documented the enduring effects of parental divorce and parental migration on children’s propensity for criminal and delinquent behaviors. Despite the unprecedented rural-to-urban migration and the sharply increasing divorce rate in contemporary China, there is a paucity of research investigating how these two significant social changes independently and jointly influence children’s risk of delinquency. Using a probability sample of middle school students in rural China, this study finds that parental divorce consistently elevated children’s engagement in delinquency. Furthermore, in terms of parental migration and caretaking arrangements, children cared for by a single grandparent when both parents migrated were identified as the most vulnerable group. Other alternative caretaking arrangements (e.g., maternal migration) did not differ significantly from the non-parent-migrant group. Additionally, this study reveals that the detrimental effect of parental divorce was contingent on caretaking arrangements, with the negative impact being the most pronounced for children living with rural single mothers. Collectively, these findings provide empirical evidence for the development of targeted and tailored prevention and treatment programs for social workers, community leaders, and policymakers at local and state levels.