Discrimination, Perceived Social Inequity, and Mental Health Among Rural-to-Urban Migrants in China

Dec 25, 2009Community mental health journal

Discrimination, feelings of unfairness, and mental health in people moving from rural to urban areas in China

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Abstract

Data from 1,006 rural-to-urban migrants in Beijing indicate that experiences of discrimination and perceived social inequity are strongly associated with mental health problems.

Experiences of discrimination are linked to being male, previously married, in poorer health, having a shorter duration of migration, and having a middle range of personal income.
Perceived social inequity correlates with poorer health status, higher education attainment, and lower personal income.
Both discriminatory experiences and perceived social inequity are associated with increased mental health problems among rural-to-urban migrants.
The findings suggest a need to address societal discrimination and structural barriers to improve the mental well-being of migrants.

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Status-based discrimination and inequity have been associated with the process of migration, especially with economics-driven internal migration. However, their association with mental health among economy-driven internal migrants in developing countries is rarely assessed. This study examines discriminatory experiences and perceived social inequity in relation to mental health status among rural-to-urban migrants in China. Cross-sectional data were collected from 1,006 rural-to-urban migrants in 2004-2005 in Beijing, China. Participants reported their perceptions and experiences of being discriminated in daily life in urban destination and perceived social inequity. Mental health was measured using the symptom checklist-90 (SCL-90). Multivariate analyses using general linear model were performed to test the effect of discriminatory experience and perceived social inequity on mental health. Experience of discrimination was positively associated with male gender, being married at least once, poorer health status, shorter duration of migration, and middle range of personal income. Likewise, perceived social inequity was associated with poorer health status, higher education attainment, and lower personal income. Multivariate analyses indicate that both experience of discrimination and perceived social inequity were strongly associated with mental health problems of rural-to-urban migrants. Experience of discrimination in daily life and perceived social inequity have a significant influence on mental health among rural-to-urban migrants. The findings underscore the needs to reduce public or societal discrimination against rural-to-urban migrants, to eliminate structural barriers (i.e., dual household registrations) for migrants to fully benefit from the urban economic development, and to create a positive atmosphere to improve migrant's psychological well-being.

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Discrimination, Perceived Social Inequity, and Mental Health Among Rural-to-Urban Migrants in China

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