Mental health symptoms among rural-to-urban migrants in China: a comparison with their urban and rural counterparts.

Rural-to-urban migrants in China (n=1006) scored higher than urban residents (n=1000) on all mental health indices measured.

• Both rural-to-urban migrants and rural residents scored higher than urban residents on the Symptom Checklist-90 global indices and subscales.
• Rural-to-urban migrants reported higher levels of distress, particularly on the Positive Symptom Distress Index and in areas of depression and psychoticism.
• Significant differences in mental health symptoms persisted even after adjusting for factors like age, gender, and income.
• The findings indicate that the migratory experience may be associated with deteriorating mental health status among this population.

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