Psychiatry Research
Volume 279, 2019, Pages 222-230

Mental health symptoms among rural adolescents with different parental migration experiences: A cross-sectional study in China (Article)

Wang J. , Zou J. , Luo J. , Liu H. , Yang Q. , Ouyang Y. , Hu M.* , Lin Q.
  • a Harvard Medical School, 107 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Vanderbilt Mail Center #299, Boston, MA 02115, United States
  • b Department of Nutrition Science & Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China
  • c Department of Nutrition Science & Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China
  • d Department of Nutrition Science & Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China
  • e Department of Nutrition Science & Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China
  • f Department of Nutrition Science & Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China
  • g Department of Social Medicine & Health Management, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China
  • h Department of Nutrition Science & Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China

Abstract

In rural regions of China, the rural-to-urban migrant worker population and their left-behind children—60 million children who remain in home villages—have diversified the rural adolescence experience in terms of family life, compounding known mental health disparities. This study examined the impact of a comprehensive panel of home- and school-related variables on the prevalence of three common mental health complaints among rural adolescents. Data were collected using a self-formulated questionnaire administered to 1347 seventh grade students in a rural county of Hunan Province in Fall 2017. The prevalence of mental health symptoms was 10–18%. Bullying, loneliness, and stress from home and school environments were risk factors; good life satisfaction and willingness to reach out to adult and peer social networks were protective. Being a left-behind child was only significantly associated with depression symptoms, and notably, none of the other variables specific to left-behind children were found to be influential on mental health outcomes. These results suggest that the school-related factors included in our analysis accounted for a share of the risk typically explained by home-related factors alone. Schools may therefore be reliable settings for mental health programs in rural areas with ever more unpredictable home environments. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.

Author Keywords

China Left-behind OR, odds ratio SCL-90: symptom checklist-90 GAD, generalized anxiety disorder IQR, interquartile range CI, confidence interval PHQ, Patient Health Questionnaire List of abbreviations: LBC, left-behind children Adolescent Mental health school rural

Index Keywords

China rural area depression human controlled study priority journal bullying health program cross-sectional study social status Adolescent male female stress reliability risk factor questionnaire school Article adult migration generalized anxiety disorder Loneliness child parent relation suicidal ideation
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85062699740&doi=10.1016%2fj.psychres.2019.03.004&partnerID=40&md5=6a1a34e471845f298fdb1178756b18c5
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.03.004
ISSN: 01651781
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English