Migration and depressive symptoms in migrant-sending areas: findings from the survey of internal migration and health in China.
OBJECTIVE
China has experienced large-scale internal migration and growing mental health disorders. Limited research has examined the relationship between the two processes. We examined the association between labor out-migration and depressive symptoms of family members left behind in migrant-sending areas.


METHODS
We conducted a multistage probability sample survey of Chinese adults in 2008 ("Internal Migration and Health in China"), including 787 people in rural migrant-sending areas. To study whether adults in out-migrant households were more likely to experience depressive symptoms (CES-D) than were adults in non-migrant households, we used multivariate regressions and adjusted for a wide range of confounding factors and for the complex sampling design.


RESULTS
Adults in households with labor out-migrants were more likely to report depressive symptoms than those in households without out-migrants, presumably a result of the absence of family members. However, monetary remittances from labor migrants buffered the mental health costs of out-migration.


CONCLUSIONS
Labor out-migration has important consequences for the mental health in migrant-sending communities. There is an urgent need to address the psychological costs of migration and to promote regular remittances.
Columbia University, New York, USA. yao.lu@columbia.edu
Yao
Y
Lu
Peifeng
P
Hu
Donald J
DJ
Treiman
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011157:Population Dynamics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult