Abstract: Children in distressed families are one of the most disadvantaged groups in survival and development, and also in need of protection from public policies. Most children in the distressed families are left-behind children, suffering from health problems. Based on the survey data of “Research on the health status of children in distressed families”, this paper focuses on mental health of left-behind children in distressed families, and also explores the factors contributing to their mental health problems from the perspective of social exclusion. The results show that, compared to other children in rural areas, the mental health problem of left-behind children in distressed families is severer. Further analysis suggests that the social exclusion faced by these children is an important factor leading to mental health risks. Aside from family development related policies, a child-friendly community environment reducing the exclusion and marginalization and promoting the social integration of left-behind children in distressed families is also needed to improve their health status.

Keywords: Left-behind Children in Distressed Families, Social Exclusion, Mental Health

摘要： 困境家庭儿童是生存发展处境最为艰难,也是最急需国家提供保护的儿童群体之一。困境家庭中父母外出务工的现象普遍，大量困境家庭儿童也是留守儿童，其健康发展面临更为艰难的处境。基于“困境家庭儿童健康问题研究”调查，研究困境留守儿童的心理健康状况，并从社会排斥的视角解释困境留守儿童心理健康问题的成因。研究发现，困境留守儿童的心理健康状况更差，进一步分析表明，社会排斥是致使困境留守儿童产生心理健康问题的重要因素。据此，困境留守儿童的健康促进，除家庭发展相关政策支持外，更需营造儿童友好的社会环境，以减少对困境留守儿童的排斥和边缘化，促进儿童的社会融入，才能真正实现困境家庭儿童群体的健康发展。

关键词: 困境留守儿童, 社会排斥, 心理健康