Mental Health Status and Related Characteristics of Chinese Male Rural–Urban Migrant Workers

• Published in: Community mental health journal 2012-06, Vol.48 (3), p.342-351
• Main Authors: Yang, Tingzhong, Xu, Xiaochao, Li, Mu, Rockett, Ian R. H., Zhu, Waner, Ellison-Barnes, Alejandra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - psychology; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; China - epidemiology; Cities; Cluster Analysis; Community and Environmental Psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Education; Employment; Health Status; Humans; Male; Males; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Men; Mental disorders; Mental Disorders - diagnosis; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Migrant workers; Migrants; Migration; Occupational health; Occupational stress; Original Paper; Perception; Population; Prevalence; Psychiatric disorders; Psychiatry; Public health; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Risk Factors; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Rural urban migration; Rural-Urban migrants; Sociodemographics; Socioeconomic Factors; Stress; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Transients and Migrants - psychology; Transients and Migrants - statistics & numerical data; Transportation; Urban areas; Urban Population - statistics & numerical data; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0010-3853; 1573-2789
• DOI: 10.1007/s10597-011-9395-8

To explore mental health status and related characteristics in a sample of Chinese male rural–urban migrants. Subjects were 1,595 male rural–urban migrant workers selected though a multi-stage sample survey conducted in two cities (Hangzhou and Guangzhou). Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Both life and work stressors were examined. Stress and mental health status were measured by the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS) and the Chinese Health Questionnaire (CHQ), respectively. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with probable mental disorders . There are approximately 120 million rural–urban migrants in China. The prevalence of probable mental disorders in the sample population was 24.4% (95% CI: 23.3–25.5%), which was higher than among urban residents (20.2%, 95% CI: 18.8–21.7%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that five characteristics were positively associated with risk for probable mental disorders: originating in the South (OR = 2.00; 95% CI = 1.02, 4.00), higher life stress (OR = 7.63; 95% CI = 5.88, 10.00), staying in the city for 5–9 months each year (OR = 2.56; 95% CI = 1.67, 3.85), higher work stress (OR = 2.56; 95% CI = 1.96, 3.33), and separation from wife (OR = 2.43; 95% CI = 1.61, 3.57). Employment in machinery and transportation (OR = 0.54; 95% CI = 0.36, 0.81) and higher self-worth (OR = 0.42; 95% CI = 0.28, 0.62) were negatively associated. Findings support an urgent need to develop specific policies and programs to address mental health problems among Chinese rural–urban migrants.