title: Rural-urban migration and depression in ageing family members left behind.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been suggested that rural-urban migration will have adverse consequences for older parents left behind.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe correlates of outmigration and to estimate any association between outmigration of children and depression in rural-dwelling older parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based survey of 1147 parents aged 60 and over in rural Thailand. We randomly oversampled parents living without children. We defined an outmigrant child as living outside their parent's district, and measured depression as a continuous outcome with a Thai version of the EURO-D.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Outmigration of all children, compared with outmigration of some or no children, was independently associated with less depression in parents. This association remained after taking account of social support, parent characteristics, health and wealth. Parents with all children outmigrated received more economic remittances and they perceived support to be as good as that of those with children close by.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Outmigration of children was not associated with greater depression in older parents and, after taking account of a range of possible covariables, was actually associated with less parental depression. This could be explained by pre-existing advantages in families sending more migrants and by the economic benefits of migration.
authors: PO 60, HSPRD, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK. m.abas@iop.kcl.ac.uk
authors: Melanie A
authors: MA
authors: Abas
authors: Sureeporn
authors: S
authors: Punpuing
authors: Tawanchai
authors: T
authors: Jirapramukpitak
authors: Philip
authors: P
authors: Guest
authors: Kanchana
authors: K
authors: Tangchonlatip
authors: Morven
authors: M
authors: Leese
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Prince
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012423:Rural Health; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013785:Thailand