Mental wellbeing amongst younger and older migrant workers in comparison to their urban counterparts in Guangzhou city, China: a cross-sectional study (original) (raw)
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Oncotarget, 2017
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Community Mental Health Journal, 2012
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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2009
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International journal of environmental research and public health, 2017
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International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Journal of Community Psychology, 2011
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Asian Social Science, 2019
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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.
International Journal of Public Health, 2012
Objectives-China has experienced large-scale internal migration and growing mental health disorders. Limited research has examined the relationship between the two processes. We examined the association between labor out-migration and depressive symptoms of family members left behind in migrant-sending areas. Methods-We conducted a multistage probability sample survey of Chinese adults in 2008 ("Internal Migration and Health in China"), including 787 people in rural migrant-sending areas. To study whether adults in out-migrants households were more likely to experience depressive symptoms (CES-D) than were adults in non-migrant households, we used multivariate regressions and adjusted for a wide range of confounding factors and for the complex sampling design. Results-Adults in households with labor out-migrants were more likely to report depressive symptoms than those in households without out-migrants, presumably a result of the absence of family members. However, monetary remittances from labor migrants buffered the mental health costs of out-migration. Conclusions-Labor out-migration has important consequences for the mental health in migrant-sending communities. There is an urgent need to address the psychological costs of migration and to promote regular remittances.
JAMA Network Open
IMPORTANCE There were an estimated 247 million rural-to-urban migrant workers in China in 2016, yet at a national level, there is scant evidence on the association of migration with mental health among migrants and their left-behind family members. OBJECTIVE To examine the association of rural-to-urban migration with symptoms of depression among migrants and left-behind family members aged 45 years and older. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Using representative cross-sectional data of 14 332 middle-aged and older adults from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey, regression analyses were conducted to examine the association of depressive symptoms with ruralto-urban migration status in urban areas and the association of depressive symptoms with leftbehind status in rural areas. The statistical analysis was performed from January to August 2018. EXPOSURES Migration status (defined as having a rural hukou [household registration record]) in urban areas and left-behind status (defined as having a spouse or child living in another area) in rural areas. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Depressive symptoms measured on the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D-10) scale. RESULTS A total of 14 332 middle-aged and elderly participants (mean [SD] age, 59.84 [9.51] years; 7394 [51.6%] women) were included, of whom 4404 (30.7%) lived in urban areas and 9928 (69.3%) lived in rural areas. In urban areas, 1607 participants (36.2%) were rural-to-urban migrants, and the remaining 2797 participants (72.8%) were local residents. In rural areas, 3405 participants (34.3%) were left-behind family members, and the remaining 6523 participants (65.7%) were not. Compared with urban residents, rural-to-urban migrants had higher CES-D-10 scores after adjustment for covariates (β = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.08-1.40; P = .03; standard errors clustered at the household level henceforth). Compared with intact-family rural residents, left-behind spouses had higher CES-D-10 scores after adjustment for covariates (β = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.05-1.03; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Rural-to-urban migration in China was associated with poor mental health for migrants and their left-behind spouses. Short-term policies, such as building community social facilities, may prove effective, but long-term solutions should address issues related to economic and social exclusions and the lack of a social security system in rural China.