Correlates of psychological wellbeing of children of migrant workers in Shanghai, China (original) (raw)
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Psychiatry Research, 2019
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Migration has affected a large number of children in many settings. Despite growing attention to these children, important gaps remain in our understanding of their psychosocial development, as well as the factors that mediate and moderate the impact of migration on children. The present study examines the influences of migration on children's psychosocial well-being in China using a new nationally representative survey. We compared different groups of children age 3-15, including migrant children, left-behind children, and rural and urban children in nonmigrant families. Results show that rural children left behind by both parents were significantly worse off in psychological and behavioral well-being than rural nonmigrant children. By contrast, rural children left behind by one parent and migrant children were no worse off. The disadvantage of left-behind children was mediated by their caregivers' emotional well-being and parenting practices. Frequent contact with migrant parents, but not receipt of remittances, helped ameliorate the vulnerability of left-behind children. These results add to our understanding of how migration affects child development in general.
Oncotarget, 2017
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Frontiers in Public Health
BackgroundTo date, numerous studies have examined the health status of Chinese left-behind children and migrant children. However, the impact of children's diverse migration/left-behind experiences on their health is still unclear.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2020 in Nanling country (Anhui province) and Kaihua country (Zhejiang province) in China. School children from grade 5 to 8 reported their socio-demographic, interpersonal relationships, self-rated health, suicidal ideation, and depression. Participants were divided into four groups based on their migrant patterns, namely rural left-behind children with previous migration experience (ME-LBC), rural children with previous migration experience (ME-NLBC), rural left-behind children without migration experience (LBC), and rural children without migration experience (NLBC).ResultsAmong 2,323 participants included in the present study, there were 336 ME-LBC (14.5%), 283 ME-NLBC (12.2%), 561 LBC (24.1%) and 1,1...
Parents' Migration and Children's Subjective Well-being and Health: Evidence from Rural China
Population, Space and Place, 2015
This study examines differences in children's subjective wellbeing and health across the full range of family structures that have emerged in China's rural areas because of parental labour migration. It uses original cross-sectional survey data collected in 2010 in Anhui and Jiangxi provinces from children aged 9-17 years, as well as from their teachers and guardians (N=992). The results indicate no significant difference between 'left behind' children and other children for satisfaction with life events. However, the results do demonstrate that left behind children fare worse than children who live with both parents for behaviour at school, confidence in the realisation of future goals, loneliness and health. The results further reveal that who migrates matters for children's wellbeing. Specifically, children with two migrant parents fare worse than children with only one migrant parent for several dimensions of wellbeing including behaviour and loneliness. Meanwhile, the children of lone migrant mothers fare worse than all other children for selected measures, most notably health. Our analyses underscore the sensitivity of the results to the dimension of children's wellbeing measured and to who provides the evaluation.
BMJ Open, 2019
Objectives The aim of this study was to examine the pathway and associations among acculturation (ie, language, social interaction and lifestyle), psychological adjustment and mental health of internal migrant adolescents in China. Design Cross-sectional questionnaire study. setting Six private migrant junior high schools located in Tianhe and Baiyun districts in Guangzhou were chosen as the study sites. Participants A total of 1122 migrant adolescents aged 11-17 years old completed the study. Main outcome measures Mental health was measured by using the Social Anxiety Scale for Children (SASC) and major depression disorder (MDD) in a Brief Child and Family Phone Interview. Acculturation and psychological adjustment were measured by a self-designed and verified questionnaire. Multiple regression models and structural equation models were performed to analyse the association among acculturation, psychological adjustment and mental health while controlling for participant demographic characteristics. results The average MDD score for boys was 8.78 (SD=2.17) and for girls was 8.56 (SD=2.22), while the average SASC score for boys was 14.67 (SD=3.72) and for girls was 13.41 (SD=4.01). Psychological adjustment had a direct positive effect on MDD (p<0.001, β=0.30) and SASC (p<0.001, β=0.28), and it was the key variable fully mediating the impact of acculturation components on MDD and partly mediating the impact of acculturation on SASC, whereas lifestyle showed a direct negative effect (p=0.003, β=−0.17) on SASC. Of the three acculturation components, lifestyle had the strongest influence on psychological adjustment (p<0.001, β=0.37 and 0.51), followed by social interaction (p<0.001, β=0.24 and 0.13) and language (p<0.001, β=0.17 and 0.11). Conclusions The association between acculturation and the mental health of internal migrant adolescents was complex and could be mediated by psychological adjustment. Interventions such as promoting local language and social interaction are needed to enhance psychological adjustment and further improve the mental health of migrant adolescents. ► This is the first known study to investigate the applicability of acculturation theory in understanding mental health problems among migrant adolescents in China. Our findings provide new ways to improve the mental health of migrant adolescents in China. ► The underlying mechanism of the effects of acculturation on the mental health of migrant adolescents was not comprehensively analysed in previous studies, and we used structural equation modelling to clearly quantify the integrated effect of various acculturation dimensions on mental health, which will provide evidence for improving the psychological intervention strategy for migrant adolescents. ► The reliability and validity of the scale for measuring the acculturation of migrant adolescents need to be further improved. ► The results of this cross-sectional study cannot be used to make causal inferences regarding acculturation and mental health because it did not control for all possible confounding variables.
BMC Public Health, 2012
Background: China is in the midst of history's largest flow of rural-urban migration in the world; a flow that includes growing numbers of children and adolescents. Their health status is an important public health issue. This study compares self-rated physical and mental health of migrant and local adolescents in China, and examines to what extent layered social connections account for health outcomes. Methods: In 2010, we conducted a cross-sectional study among middle school students in Pudong New Area, Shanghai. Information about health status, social connections, and demographic factors were collected using a questionnaire survey. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, we used the t-test, Chi-square analysis, and a series of regression models to compare differences in health outcomes and explore the effects of social connections. Results: Migrant adolescents reported significantly higher rates of good physical health. However, they also had significantly fewer social connections, lower self-esteem, and higher levels of depression than their native peers. Family cohesion was associated with depressive symptoms and low self-esteem among all adolescents; peer association and social cohesion played major roles in migrants' well-being. Gender, age, and socioeconomic (SES) factors also affected adolescents' self-rated physical and mental health. Conclusions: Self-rated data suggest that migrant adolescents enjoy a physical health advantage and a mental health disadvantage. Layered social connections, such as peer association and social cohesion, may be particularly important for migrants. A public health effort is required to improve the health status of migrant youth.
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Journal of affective disorders, 2018
Separation from migrant parents threatens the mental health of approximately 61 million left-behind children (LBC) in China. This study compared the prevalence of mental health and psychosocial problems between LBC and controls in Sichuan province, China. We randomly recruited LBC and adolescents aged 12-16 years old from 16 rural high schools in 8 counties in Sichuan province. We compared frequency of school bullying, self-esteem, panic symptoms, depression and severe psychological distress(SPD) between LBC and controls from the same schools. These variables were assessed through face-to-face interviews and self-report questionnaires. The prevalence of mental health problems was 43.4% among LBC(n = 1663) but 30.8% among controls(n = 1683), and the prevalence of specific psychological symptoms was also higher among LBC: SPD, 12.1% vs. 4.8%; panic, 32.4% vs. 22.1%; and depressive symptoms, 26.5% vs. 16.3%. Low self-esteem was more prevalent among LBC(26.6% vs. 18.2%) as was severe sc...