Rural-urban migration and mental health of Chinese migrant children: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Background Mental health has become a new focus of public health related to migrants in recent years. There are many contradictions in previous studies on the mental health status of migrant children in China. Methods PubMed, OVID, ERIC, Web of Knowledge, CNKI, Wan Fang and Chongqing VIP were searched on August 16, 2018. The data were analyzed using SMD and random effect model in Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. Results We included 11 studies involving 4621 migrant children and 5076 urban children. The mental health of migrant children was worse than that of urban children, as evidenced by total score of Mental Health Test (Standardized Mean Difference, SMD = 0.36, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.59) and seven out eight sub-scales of Mental Health Test (SMD, ranging from 0.24 to 0.37). The results were robust to sensitivity analysis. Conclusion Our study supports the notion that compared with urban counterparts, migrant children had more mental health problems with less public services. Future research should focus on how to improve mental health of migrant children.
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Compared with urban peers, migrant children face a higher risk of mental health issues (e.g., anxiety).
“Compared with urban peers, migrant children face a higher risk of mental health issues (e.g., anxiety) [3]”
From Effects of Mindfulness and Life-Skills Training on Emotion Regulation and Anxiety Symptoms in Chinese Migrant Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial. (2024) · cites this paper as [3]
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- Authors
- Zhang, J., Yan, L., & Yuan, Y.
- Affiliations
- Yancheng Teachers University (CN)
- Soochow University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Yan, Lixia
- Venue
- Journal of Affective Disorders
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-10
- Volume
- 257
- Pages
- 684-690
- ISSN
- 0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2966265963
- Cited by
- 69
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 0.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Affective Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Migration, Health and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration, Identity, and Health
- Keywords
- rural-urban migration, migrant children, child mental health, Chinese immigrants, urban-rural comparison, public services, mental illness
- MeSH terms
- Child, China, Female, Humans, Intelligence Tests, Male, Mental Health, Population Dynamics, Transients and Migrants, Asian People
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