●Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Problem Statement and Rationale of the Study
1.2 The Goal of the Study
Chapter 2 Literature Review
2.1 Left-Behind Children and Migrant Parents in China
2.1.1 Phenomenon of Left-Behind Children
2.1.2 Definition of Left-Behind Children
2.1.3 Communication Between Left-Behind Children and Migrant Parents
2.2 Theoretical Perspective: Four-Level Metaperspective on Relational Maintenance
2.2.1 Definition of Relational Maintenance
2.2.2 Four-Level Context of Maintenance
2.3 The Self Context: Imagined Interactions
2.3.1 Definitions and Theoretical Foundations of IIs
2.3.2 Functions of IIs
2.3.3 Attributes of IIs
2.3.4 IIs in Maintaining Relationships
2.4 The System Context. Relational Maintenance Behaviors
2.4.1 Perspectives on Relational Maintenance
2.4.2 Types of Relational Maintenance Behaviors
2.4.3 Maintaining Long Distance Parent-Child Relationships
2.4.4 Relational Maintenance Behaviors and Relationship Outcomes
2.5 The Network Context: Grandparents' Support
2.5.1 Family Support
2.5.2 Grandparents as Caregivers
2.6 Hypotheses and Research Questions
2.6.1 IIs and Their Association With Relationship Quality
2.6.2 Relational Maintenance Behaviors and Their Association With Relationship Quality
2.6.3 Support and Relationship Quality
2.6.4 Communication and Its Association With IIs and Relationship Quality
2.6.5 IIs, Relational Maintenance Behaviors, Support, and Relationship Quality
Chapter 3 Methodology
3.1 Pilot Study
3.1.1 Participants and Procedures
3.1.2 Measurements
3.1.3 Results of the Pilot Study
3.2 Main Study
3.2.1 Participants and Procedures
3.2.2 Measurements
3.2.3 Statistical Analysis
Chapter 4 Results
4.1 Background Characteristics
4.1.1 Participants' Demographic Information
4.1.2 Parent-Child Communication
4.2 Findings of the Proposed Research Questions and Hypotheses
4.2.1 IIs and Their Association With Relationship Quality
4.2.2 Relational Maintenance Behaviors and Their Association With Relationship Quality
4.2.3 Support and Relationship Quality
4.2.4 Communication and Its Association With IIs and Relationship Quality
4.2.5 IIs, Relational Maintenance Behaviors, Support, and Relationship Quality
Chapter 5 Discussion
5.1 Theoretical Implications
5.1.1 A Systems Approach to Parent-Child Relationship Maintenance
5.1.2 Three-Level Maintenance and Relationship Quality
5.1.3 Other Important Findings
5.2 Practical Applications
5.3 Limitations and Directions for Future Research
5.3.1 Culture Level of Relational Maintenance
5.3.2 Developmental Issues in Parent-Child Relationship Maintenance
5.3.3 Research Frame and Design
5.4 Conclusion
Appendices
Appendix A Demographic Information and Communication Between Left-Behind Children and Migrant Parents
Appendix B Modified Survey of Imagined Interactions
Appendix C Perceptions of Parents' Relational Maintenance
Appendix D Modified Family Subscale from the ltidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support
Appendix E The Perceived Relationship Quality Component (PRQC) Inventory
References

本書從三層關繫維繫模型(自我層面、繫統層面、外緣層面)出發探究中國留守兒童與父母之間的溝通和親子關繫質量。具體而言，本書探索了留守兒童如何想像與父母的交流(自我)；父母和留守兒童使用何種關繫維繫行為來應對分離狀態(繫統)；來自祖父母的支持如何幫助留守兒童及其父母維持遠距離親子關繫(外緣)。本書的目的一方面在於拓展想像交流、關繫維繫行為和家庭支持方面的理論研究，另一方面在於幫助留守兒童及其父母維繫遠距離親子關繫並提升關繫質量。本書的結論建議：在年齡、溝通頻率、團聚頻率等因素受控制的情況下，留守兒童的想像交流更多用於緩解壓力和提升自我認知時，留守兒童從父母處感受到更多愉快的和任務分享型的關繫維繫行為時，其親子關繫質量更佳。