Abstract
An increasing interest has been focused on the association of internal migration with depressive symptoms in China. However, very few of those studies investigated the possible mechanisms underlying that association. This study aims to examine the relationship between internal migration and depressive symptoms and various mechanisms behind this relationship among Chinese middle-aged and older adults. The data was drawn from the national China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2011. The depressive symptoms were defined by the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10). Within the broader definition of internal migration, we divided migration status into multiple types based on individuals’ hukou information. Structural equation models (SEMs) were adopted to examine the association between different types of migration and depressive symptoms and disaggregate the relationship between internal migration and depressive symptoms into direct and mediation pathways. After considering selection features related to migration processes, we found strong relationships between multiple types of internal migration and depressive symptoms. Compared with rural non-migrants, rural-to-urban migrants with urban hukou, urban-to-urban migrants, and urban non-migrants had fewer depressive symptoms (β=-0.75, 95% CI: -1.02, -0.49; β=-1.21, 95% CI: -1.68, -0.73; and β=-0.39, 95% CI: -0.49, -0.29, respectively). Post-migration experiences, such as living conditions, household income per capita and social participation, mediated the relationship between internal migration and depressive symptoms. These findings of the mechanisms underlying the link between internal migration and depressive symptoms offer evidence for developing mental health interventions for migrants during the rapid progress of urbanization in China.
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Data availability
The dataset supporting the conclusions of this article is available in http://charls.pku.edu.cn/en.
Abbreviations
- CHARLS:
-
China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study
- CES-D-10:
-
the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
- SEMs:
-
Structural equation models
- DALYs:
-
Disability-adjusted life years
- SES:
-
Socioeconomic status
- Hukou:
-
The household registration system
- BMI:
-
Body mass index
- CFI:
-
Comparative fit index
- TLI:
-
Tucker–Lewis index
- RMSEA:
-
Root mean square error of approximation
- SRMR:
-
Standardized root mean square residual
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YL and YNL contributed to the design of the study, the data analysis, interpretation and discussion of results, and writing and review of the article. RL reviewed and revised the article. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Liu, Y., Liang, R. & Luo, Y. The relationship of internal migration and depressive symptoms as well as its mechanisms: evidence from China. China popul. dev. stud. 7, 457–476 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42379-023-00149-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42379-023-00149-w