Psychological distress of rural-to-urban migrants in two Chinese cities: Shenzhen and Shanghai |
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Authors: | Ming Wen Zhenzhen Zheng Jianlin Niu |
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Institution: | 1. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA;2. Institute of Population and Labor Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China |
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Abstract: | Using survey data collected from Shanghai and Shenzhen, two popular destinations for rural-to-urban migration in China, this study found a significantly higher level of psychological distress among rural migrants in Shenzhen compared to those in Shanghai, which are partly attributable to the lower earnings and longer work hours among rural migrants in Shenzhen. In addition, a range of structural (e.g., socioeconomic status and work hours), social (i.e., frequency of home visits, perceived social support, and neighbourhood social cohesion), and personality (i.e., optimism) factors were found to be important correlates of psychological distress. Compared to those in Shanghai, rural migrants in Shenzhen were socioeconomically disadvantaged but psychosocially advantaged. A significant and negative interaction effect between optimism and long work hours was also found. Without the presence of the observed psychosocial advantages among rural migrants in Shenzhen, the Shenzhen-Shanghai gap in rural migrant’s mental health would have been even greater. |
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Keywords: | Mental health psychological distress rural-to-urban migration city adaptation optimism China |
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