Understanding the Mental Health Status of Migrant Workers in China

• In Event: 392 - Section on Asia and Asian America Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 02. Asians, Asian Americans, and Health

Abstract

After the series of suicides committed by workers in electronic manufacturing factories in China, the mental health status of rural to urban migrant workers in Chinese cities began to attract increasing scholarly attentions. Using the 2010 survey of migrant workers in Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta, this study examines the effects of working conditions, residential environment, and victimization on the mental well being of migrant workers. It further analyzes whether higher educational level boosts or buffers the relationship between these risk factors and mental health. The results show that poor living and working conditions and crime victimization have negative influence on migrant workers’ psychological health. However, most working conditions only affect migrant workers with less than high school education, but have no influence on those who have a high school degree or above.

Author

• Lei Lei, State University of New York-Albany