Trauma or Empowerment: Developmental Challenges and Transformative Processes Among College Students with Left-Behind Experience: A Qualitative Study

As the number of college students with left-behind experience grows, more scholars focus on their mental health and development. Most existing research highlights the negative consequences of the left-behind experience and rarely explores how individuals turn adversity into resources. In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 college students (men: n = 5, women: n = 11; age: 20–23) who had a left-behind experience. Thematic analysis was used to examine both the negative and positive effects of the left-behind experience and the mechanisms of positive transformation. Findings suggest that left-behind experience can result in both hidden costs and cultivated resilience. Negative effects include increased emotional sensitivity, difficulty forming close relationships, and reduced feelings of belonging. Positive outcomes include greater independence, stronger responsibility, and improved social adaptability. Further analysis shows that students use three strategies—cognitive restructuring, emotional regulation, and behavioral engagement—to convert negative experiences into positive psychological resources, thereby shifting from trauma to empowerment. The study shows that left-behind experience alone does not dictate long-term outcomes. Instead, individual meaning-making and resource integration shape development. By extending resilience theory to this student group, the findings offer a strengths-based framework for psychological support and education. These findings call for university mental health services and educational policies to move beyond a deficit model and incorporate the resilience and self-regulatory strategies identified in this population.