Mental Health Status, and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors of Migrant Children in Eastern Coastal China in Comparison to Urban Children: a Cross-sectional Survey

Overview

Journal Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health

Publisher Biomed Central

Date 2018 Feb 14

PMID 29434657

Citations 8

Authors

Jingjing Lu

Feng Wang

Pengfei Chai

Dongshuo Wang

Lu Li

Xudong Zhou

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: Although adolescents' mental health problems and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) have been a serious public health concern worldwide, descriptions of risk factors for SITBs often fail to take migration into account. There are roughly 35.8 million migrant children in China who, with their parents, moved from original rural residence to urban areas. Little is known about migrant children's mental health status and levels of SITBs. This study aims to explore the mental health status and SITBs of migrant children living in eastern coastal China in comparison to their urban counterparts.

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey conducted in 13 schools. Mental health status and SITBs were measured via self-administered questionnaires. Associations between strengths and difficulties questionnaire outcomes and SITBs were investigated.

Results: Data from 4217 students (1858 migrant children and 2359 urban children) were collected. After controlling for gender, age, family economic status, parent's education level and parents' marital status, migrant children scored higher for total difficulties (p < 0.001) and externalizing problems (p < 0.001) than did urban children and reported higher rates of suicidal ideation (p < 0.05) and self-injurious behaviors (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Migrant children, compared with urban children, have a higher risk of externalizing problems and SITBs. It is urgent to address these problems by providing both mental health services at migrant-exclusive schools and equitable education and social welfare to migrant children.

Citing Articles

A Prospective Study on Resilience Among Children with Different Migrant and Left-behind Trajectories.

He X, Zhang R, Zhu B Child Indic Res. 2022; 15(6):2065-2091.

PMID: 35702331 PMC: 9185725. DOI: 10.1007/s12187-022-09945-1.

Reuveny R BMC Public Health. 2021; 21(1):598.

PMID: 33771138 PMC: 7996123. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-10120-w.

The impacts of parent-child communication on left-behind children's mental health and suicidal ideation: A cross sectional study in Anhui.

Lu J, Lin L, Roy B, Riley C, Wang E, Wang K Child Youth Serv Rev. 2020; 110.

PMID: 32801409 PMC: 7425803. DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104785.

The awareness rate of mental health knowledge Among Chinese adolescent: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Guo S, Yang Y, Liu F, Li F Medicine (Baltimore). 2020; 99(7):e19148.

PMID: 32049839 PMC: 7035058. DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000019148.

Retraction Note to: Mental health status, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors of migrant children in eastern coastal China in comparison to urban children: a cross-sectional survey.

Lu J, Wang F, Chai P, Wang D, Li L, Zhou X Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2020; 14:4.

PMID: 31988658 PMC: 6972008. DOI: 10.1186/s13034-020-0311-2.

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