Skip to main content
Download PDF

Cross-sectional study of factors affecting the receipt of mental health education in older migrants in China

BMC Public Health volume 23, Article number: 376 (2023) Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Population migration in China has increasingly included middle-aged and older populations. Relatedly, the lack of mental health education among China’s older migrants is still an important but neglected problem. This study aimed to understand the current situation of mental health education received by the older migrant population in China and to explore related influencing factors.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 5729 older migrants who participated in the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey. The independent variables included four components: demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, migration factors, public health service utilization, and social integration factors. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test for single factors and a binary logistic regression model for multiple factors.

Results

A total of 1749 older migrants received mental health education, for a receipt rate of 30.53%. Regression analysis showed that older migrant individuals who had an average monthly household income > 3000 CNY, self-rated their health as healthy, had chronic diseases, had heard of National Basic Public Health Services, had established health records, received ≥2 types of health education were willing to integrate into the local population, and were highly involved in the community were more likely to receive mental health education. Older migrants who were ≥ 70 years old, had an elementary school education or below, had difficulties in the local community, had migrated ≥11 years prior, moved for their offspring, and moved across provinces were less likely to receive mental health education.

Conclusions

The older migrant population does not receive sufficient mental health education. Mental health interventions should be tailored to the characteristics of older migrants to increase their mental health literacy and meet their psychological needs.

Peer Review reports

Background

Migration is an important event in individuals’ lives and significantly affects their health. The International Organization of Migration estimates that by 2020, 281 million people, or 3.6% of the global population, will have migrated internationally [1]. Chinese internal migration is one of the largest migration flows in the world [2]. The number of people living in places other than their household registration areas reached approximately 490 million, and the migrant population reached approximately 375 million, according to the latest statistics from China’s National Bureau of Statistics [3]. The size of the migrant population is changing and is showing new features, with an increasing number of middle-aged and older people and an increasing proportion of older migrants in terms of age structure and size [4]. In addition to the individual’s quality of life, family happiness, and macroeconomic development, the health of the older migrant population is also an ongoing issue of concern for scholars worldwide [5,6,7].

In terms of mental health problems, older migrants, unlike younger migrants, are more susceptible to the negative effects of migration factors on their mental well-being [8]. Several cross-sectional studies have reported a high prevalence of mental health problems among older migrant populations; for example, there has been research on depression among Asian immigrants of Chinese and Korean descent living in the United States [9, 10] and immigrants of Mexican descent [11], and another study with older immigrants in 11 European countries also reported a higher prevalence of depression among immigrants aged 50 and above compared to residents with no migration history [12]. Various studies have shown that psychological problems in older migrant populations are caused mainly by factors other than diseases, such as identity, income, cultural environment, and societal support [13,14,15,16]. For instance, older adults who move to a new country with their children to attend school or work may find it difficult to change their original language, behavior, and lifestyle to adapt to the changing environment, and they may become less integrated into the local community. Therefore, the significant changes in social life due to migration have a specific psychological impact on older migrants, and the effects of various social factors increase the mental health risk for the older migrant population.

The older migrant population faces more mental health risks and has lower mental health due to both their migration and old age. Their demand for health education is relatively high, as they require more effective interventions to enhance their health awareness and mental health literacy [17]. Mental health education helps older people understand basic knowledge about psychological cognition and basic skills and methods to address psychological problems. It also helps reduce negative emotions such as anxiety and depression, which helps to improve older people’s physical and mental health [18].

Therefore, to understand the receipt of mental health education among the older migrant population and the influencing factors, this study uses data from the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDs). The objective of this study was to assess the main factors affecting the receipt of mental health education among older migrants and their migration characteristics. Furthermore, we provide a reference point for promoting and improving mental health education and health literacy policy formulation and practice among older migrants.

Methods

Data collection and participants

The 2017 CMDs was conducted in May 2017 in inflow areas where the migrant population is more concentrated in a total of 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China. Individuals who were residing in the local area for ≥1 month, had nonlocal residence, and were aged ≥15 years old in May 2017 were selected as the survey population. Dynamic monitoring of the migrant population was conducted using a stratified, multistage, and proportional sampling method. Migrants refer to persons whose residence does not coincide with the place of household registration and who have been away for at least 6 months [19]. Moreover, the migrant population can receive mental health education services only if they have resided in the inflow area for ≥6 months. Therefore, participating subjects were older adults who had lived in the inflow area for ≥6 months and were ≥ 60 years old, and after samples with missing relevant variables were excluded, the final valid sample size was 5729 (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1
figure 1

Sample selection flowchart

Full size image

Dependent variable

The following question was used to measure the receipt of mental health education: “In the past year, have you received health education on mental health in your current village/residence council?” (0 = no, 1 = yes).

Independent variables

Independent variables included gender, marital status, age, socioeconomic status (education level, average monthly household income, experience of difficulties in the local area), health status (self-rated health status, chronic diseases), migration factors (duration of migration, reasons for migration, range of migration), public health service utilization (awareness of the National Basic Public Health Service, possession of established health records, received ≥2 types of health education), and community integration factors (identification as local people, community involvement, and willingness to integrate). Studies have shown that several risk factors are associated with increased mental health risks among migrants, including personal characteristics (age, gender, education, etc.), factors related to the social environment of migration, post-migration stress factors, etc. [20, 21]. Although the risk factors involved in the process of population aging are broadly similar, migrant-specific risk factors may also play a relevant role in influencing the health and quality of life of older adults and include the reason for migration, the extent of migration, and the timing of migration [22]. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and self-rated health status are often reported as risk factors for deterioration in mental health [23, 24]. There is a clear association between lower socioeconomic status and poorer mental health status [25]. Greater wealth is often associated with better access to health care, leading to better disease management and better health status. In China, the hukou system determines people’s eligibility for a range of socioeconomic benefits provided by the state [26]. Older migrants, as a non-household resident population, has difficulty in enjoying the same public services such as healthy aging, health care, and social services as the household population. Whereas social support and a strong network of basic public health services can buffer the stressful effects of the migration process and influence mental health, the use of basic public health services has an impact on the physical and mental health of migrants [27]. As an important part of the migrant population, the older migrant population is a relatively vulnerable group in the migrant population, and the willingness of this migrant population to integrate in their new place of residence, the objective degree of social integration, and the determination and satisfaction of their own social integration are all related to their physical and mental health, so social integration factors have an important influence on the mental health of the older migrant population [28, 29].

Among these variables, experience of difficulties in the local community was assessed with the following question: “Do you have any difficulties in the local community at present?” Willingness to integrate was measured by the item, “I am willing to integrate with the local people and become one of them.” Community involvement was based on the questions, “Have you made suggestions to your unit/community/village or monitored the management of unit/community/village affairs since 2016?” and “Have you participated in charitable efforts, blood donations, volunteer activities since 2016?” (1 = no, 2 = occasionally, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often). The scores of these two questions were summed, and the total scores obtained for community involvement were divided into three categories with reference to Yang’s study [30]: 2 was classified as low community involvement, 3 ~ 4 = moderate community involvement, and 5 ~ 8 = high community involvement.

Statistical analysis

The data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 (SPSS, Chicago, Illinois, USA). We present descriptive statistics. The results are expressed as the number (proportion) for the categorical variables of the older migrant population. The chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to investigate factors affecting the receipt of mental health education among older migrants.

Results

Participants’ demographic characteristics

Table 1 presents the sociodemographic information of the 5729 survey respondents. Among them, 1749 older migrant people received mental health education, for a receipt rate of 30.53%. More than half were male (3303, 57.65%), the average age was 66.39 ± 5.55 years, most were in the age range of 60–69 years (4480, 78.20%), and most were married (4789, 83.59%). The educational level was low, and almost half had a primary school education or below (2767, 48.30%). The rest of the details can be viewed in Table 1.

Table 1 Descriptive statistics of the study sample
Full size table

Mental health education currently received by the older migrant population

The results of the chi-square test are presented in Table 2. Individuals with different characteristics in the older migrant population responded differently regarding mental health education. Specifically, the differences in the receipt of mental health education among older migrants based on the 15 independent variables were statistically significant (P < 0.05), except for those based on gender and marital status, which were not statistically significant (P > 0.05).

Table 2 Participants’ demographic characteristics
Full size table

Analysis of the factors influencing the receipt of mental health education among the older migrant population

A binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine whether the older migrant population had received health education on mental health in the past year as the dependent variable (0 = no, 1 = yes) and statistically significant independent variables. The results, shown in Table 3, indicated that older migrant adults who had a junior high school education and above, had an average monthly household income > 3000 CNY, self-rated their health as healthy, suffered from chronic diseases, had heard about National Basic Public Health Services, had established local health records, received ≥2 types of health education, identified as a local, had high levels of community involvement, and were fully willing to integrate into the local population were more likely to receive mental health education. Those who were ≥ 70 years old, had difficulties in the local community, had migrated ≥11 years prior, migrated for offspring, and moved across provinces did not tend to obtain mental health education.

Table 3 Analysis of the factors influencing the receipt of mental health education among older Chinese migrants
Full size table

Discussion

The migration and instability of the older migrant population make their mental health easy to neglect [31]. Mental health education helps aging individuals understand basic knowledge about their psychological cognition and develop basic skills and methods to address psychological problems, prevent negative attitudes and reduce negative emotions such as anxiety and depression, which helps to enhance their physical and mental health [32,33,34,35]. Generally, the results of this study demonstrated that the average receipt rate of mental health education among the older migrant population aged ≥60 years in China was 30.53%. There is a considerable gap in the goal of “by 2020, the health education coverage rate of the migrant population will be>95%” in the 13th Five-Year National Health and Family Planning Service Management Plan for the migrant population. The mental health education of older migrants still needs to be improved [36].

The age, socioeconomic status, self-rated health status, chronic disease status, and migration characteristics of older migrants significantly influenced their receipt of mental health education services. The lower receipt rate of mental health education among those aged ≥70 years old may be related to the fact that older migrants have fewer visible mental health problems than physical illnesses and, therefore, pay more attention to their physical health status and neglect their mental health status [37]. The receipt of mental health education among the older population increased with the education level, which may be related to the fact that people with higher education levels pay more attention to their psychological problems and acquire mental health knowledge [38]. There was lower receipt of mental health education among older migrants with local difficulties, which may be because these migrants have no time to pay attention to mental health education and weaker access to it because of their local life pressures or other challenges [39]. In addition, the higher receipt rate of mental health education among older migrants who self-rated their health as healthy suggests that health education can be translated into health literacy and health awareness, which can improve health status [40]. Migrant older adults with chronic diseases were more eager to obtain medical advice to improve their awareness of diseases as well as their psychological situations [41, 42]. Currently, the household registration system still affects residents’ utilization of public health services, the accessibility of health services for the migrant population is low [43, 44], and the acceptance rate of mental health education among older adults who move across provinces is low due to a lack of knowledge about local health services. The reception rate of mental health education was lower among older individuals with ≥11 years since migration. In the early stages of migration, the older migrants have a lower level of social adjustment and the stress of the external environment can have a greater impact on their psychological well-being. Zhang confirmed in his study that the length of time since migration positively predicted positive mood [45]. Liu also found that older migrants who had migrated more than 10 years prior reported better subjective well-being than they had experienced in their place of origin [46], and over time, the unfamiliar environment’s barriers to adaptation gradually decrease, the level of social integration continued to increase, and their mental health improved [47]. Thus, the need for mental health education decreased. The reception rate of mental health education among older migrants for their offspring is low. Many older people have to be forced to take on the responsibility of caring for their minor grandchildren in the face of the absence of family care for their children and social childcare services are still inadequate [48]. Therefore, they may be trapped in the caregiver role responsibilities, focus their lives too much on family life, and lose their own activity schedule without having free time to receive mental health education, making the receipt of mental health education poor [49]. Thus, the health administration should focus on migrants who are older, have low education levels, have difficulties in the local area, migrated for their offspring, and moved across provinces, and they should include them in the scope of mental health management services in the inflow area according to the system of allocating service resources to the resident population [50].

The utilization of basic public health services and community integration factors are essential facilitators of mental health education among older migrants [51,52,53,54]. This may be because health education is one of the main components of the National Basic Public Health Service Program, and older migrants who have heard of this program or received other health education are more familiar with the mental health education service participation process and policies. In addition, older migrants are more likely to be exposed to mental health education campaigns when establishing health records in primary health institutions and to have a stronger initiative to receive mental health education. Therefore, the community should increase the publicity and awareness rate of National Basic Public Health Services so that older migrants have a deeper understanding of the specific contents of the services and the ways to participate [55]. However, due to older migrants’ weak mental health awareness, they do not actively contact or obtain mental health education-related services, and it is difficult for them to obtain timely information about free health lectures and propaganda provided by relevant government departments. All regions in China are currently promoting community-based family doctor contracting services to establish long-term, stable service relationships between family doctors and residents. Because of this, health institutions can rely on community family doctors to establish mental health files and provide mental health tracking services for older migrants in their service area in the cell grid to follow the biopsychosocial medicine model and increase the content and frequency of services such as home visits, health monitoring, and intervention [56]. The application of the grid model can effectively ensure that all older people can enjoy mental health services [57]. Mental health professionals are recruited to provide face-to-face mental health services for older migrants. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between the community involvement of older migrants and their mental health education receipt rate; the higher the participation of older migrants in community affairs was, the higher their mental health education receipt rate. It is suggested that health education-related services require the awareness and active participation of service recipients, and the increase in service supply alone does not necessarily promote an increase in the utilization rate. The better receipt of mental health education among older migrants with a strong willingness to integrate may be related to the fact that only when migrants are willing to integrate into the local population will they have a strong sense of belonging and identification with the inflow area and be more inclined to seek mental health education services [58]. Therefore, the community should encourage older migrants to integrate more actively into the inflow area and participate in community activities to ensure that they can enjoy the same quality of mental health education services as residents in the inflow area.

Limitations

The study has several limitations that should be considered. We used data from 2017, and cross-sectional data did not allow us to determine trends or long-term associations between mental health education and related indicators among older migrant populations and could not verify causal relationships among specific mechanisms. Due to the limitations of public databases, information on each variable was only available based on the original survey questions, which prevented further exploration of other possibly relevant variables, such as life course, cross-cultural adjustment, and social relationships. In addition, mental health education receipt behavior was measured as a dichotomous variable, and this evaluation criterion was based on the premise that each province attached the same level of importance to mental health education. In fact, different provinces give different levels of attention to the health of mobile populations, which can affect their options for health education content [59]. Although the simplified criteria facilitate overall comparison, they may cause bias in the interpretation of the results. In-depth studies using health education acceptance intensity or delineating more detailed evaluation indicators could be considered in the future.

Conclusion

With the aging population and growing migrant population, solving the mental health-related problems of the aging migrant population is a crucial component of achieving healthy and positive aging. In the future, we should conduct further in-depth studies on the utilization of mental health education services for aging migrants, develop developmental health interventions tailored to their characteristics, and comprehensively improve their health awareness and mental health literacy level through health education. Improving the mental health status of the older population, reducing the incidence of mental illness, and increasing recognition of mental illness and utilization of mental health services are fundamental to promoting healthy aging.

Availability of data and materials

Data can be accessed by logging into the China Migrant Population Data Platform (https://www.chinaldrk.org.cn/wjw/#/home) and following the instructions on the website to register for a free account. It is necessary to submit a research plan and an application form to the platform if you wish to obtain research data. Researchers will need to obtain authorization from their institutions prior to submitting the application form. Moreover, researchers need to sign a data use agreement with the Migrant Population Service Center of the National Health Commission, ensuring that they will use the data in accordance with the requirements of the agreement and will not disclose the data to any third parties. We provide the corresponding author’s email: yinwq1969@126.com, in case any problems are encountered by the readers, editors, and reviewers accessing the data.

References

  1. International Organization of Migration. Interactive world migration report 2022. https://www.iom.int/wmr/interactive. Accessed 26 Apr 2022.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Zhang L, Liu S, Zhang G, Wu S. Internal migration and the health of the returned population: a nationally representative study of China. BMC Public Health. 2015;15:719.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. National Bureau of Statistics of China. Communiqué of the Seventh National Population Census (No. 7)-Urban and Rural Population and Floating Population. http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202105/t20210510_1817192.html. Accessed 8 Dec 2022.

  4. China National Bureau of Statistics. China’s population development presents new features and trends -interpretation of the 7th national population census bulletin. 2021. http://www.stats.gov.cn/xxgk/jd/sjjd2020/202105/t20210513_1817408.html. Accessed 23 Apr 2022.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Chang H, Dong X-Y, MacPhail F. Labor migration and time use patterns of the left-behind children and elderly in rural China. World Dev. 2011;39:2199–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Choi SH. Testing healthy immigrant effects among late life immigrants in the United States. J Aging Health. 2011;24:475–506.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Park HJ, Morgan T, Wiles J, Gott M. Lonely ageing in a foreign land: social isolation and loneliness among older Asian migrants in New Zealand. Health Soc Care Community. 2018;27:740–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Li J, Chang S-S, Yip PSF, Li J, Jordan LP, Tang Y, et al. Mental wellbeing amongst younger and older migrant workers in comparison to their urban counterparts in Guangzhou city, China: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2014;14:1280.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Kim HJ, Park E, Storr CL, Tran K, Juon H-S. Depression among Asian-American adults in the community: systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2015;10:e0127760.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Kim MT, Kim KB, Han H-R, Huh B, Nguyen T, Lee HB. Prevalence and predictors of depression in korean american elderly: findings from the memory and aging study of Koreans (MASK). Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2015;23:671–83.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Montes de Oca V, García TR, Sáenz R, Guillén J. The linkage of life course, migration, health, and aging. J Aging Health. 2011;23:1116–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Aichberger MC, Schouler-Ocak M, Mundt A, Busch MA, Nickels E, Heimann HM, et al. Depression in middle-aged and older first generation migrants in Europe: results from the survey of health, ageing and retirement in Europe (SHARE). Eur Psychiatry. 2010;25:468–75.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Al Hazzouri AZ, Haan MN, Galea S, Aiello AE. Life-course exposure to early socioeconomic environment, education in relation to late-life cognitive function among older Mexicans and Mexican Americans. J Aging Health. 2011;23:1027–49.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Cramm JM, Nieboer AP. Aging perceptions matter for the well-being of elderly Turkish migrants, especially among the chronically ill. BMC Geriatr. 2018;18:229.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Guo M, Sabbagh Steinberg N, Dong X, Tiwari A. Is family relations related to health service utilisation among older immigrants: evidence from Chinese elderly in the United States. Health Soc Care Community. 2019;27:215–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Han J, Meng Y. Institutional differences and geographical disparity: the impact of medical insurance on the equity of health services utilization by the floating elderly population - evidence from China. Int J Equity Health. 2019;18:91.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Mallmann DG, Galindo Neto NM, Sousa JC, Vasconcelos EMR. Educação em saúde como principal alternativa para promover a saúde do idoso. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva. 2015;20:1763–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Pawluk SA, Zolezzi M. Healthcare professionals’ perspectives on a mental health educational campaign for the public. Health Educ J. 2017;76:479–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. China National Bureau of Statistics. Differences between resident and mobile populations in statistics. 2022. http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjfw/tjzx/zxgk/202203/t20220302_1828234.html. Accessed 23 Apr 2022.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Zhang J, Nazroo J, Zhang N. Gender differences in rural-urban migration and its impact on depression in later life. Health Place. 2022;77:102890.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Bhugra D. Cultural identities and cultural congruency: a new model for evaluating mental distress in immigrants. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2005;111(2):84–93.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Kristiansen M, Razum O, Tezcan-Güntekin H, Krasnik A. Aging and health among migrants in a European perspective. Public Health Rev. 2016;37:20 Published 2016 Oct 26.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Druss BG, Walker ER. Mental disorders and medical comorbidity. Synth Proj Res Synth Rep. 2011;21:1–26.

    Google Scholar 

  24. The Academy of Medical Sciences. Multimorbidity: a priority for Global Health research. London: The Academy of Medical Sciences; 2018.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Bauer JM, Brand T, Zeeb H. Pre-migration socioeconomic status and post-migration health satisfaction among Syrian refugees in Germany: a cross-sectional analysis. PLoS Med. 2020;17(3):e1003093.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Song Q, Smith JP. Hukou system, mechanisms, and health stratification across the life course in rural and urban China. Health Place. 2019;58:102150.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Caperchione CM, Kolt GS, Mummery WK. Physical activity in culturally and linguistically diverse migrant groups to Western society: a review of barriers, enablers and experiences. Sports Med. 2009;39(3):167–77.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Marin IB, Fernández D, Ayuso-Mateos JL, et al. Healthy aging and late-life depression in Europe: does migration matter? Front Med (Lausanne). 2022;9:866524.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Zhao J, Kong F, Li S. Association between social integration and medical returns among the migrant elderly following children to Jinan City China. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1):1822.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Yang Z, Jiang C. Community education for self-help in public emergency and its influencing factors among migrant population in the Yangtze River Delta. Chin J Public Health. 2021;37:224–7.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Li X, Stanton B, Fang X, Xiong Q, Yu S, Lin D, et al. Mental health symptoms among rural-to-urban migrants in China: a comparison with their urban and rural counterparts. World Health Popul. 2009;11:24–38.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. McKay C. Mental health education and quality of life. Health Serv Rep. 1972;87:941–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Rosen J, Stiehl E, Mittal V, Fox D, Hennon J, Jeste D, et al. Late-life mental health education for workforce development: brain versus heart? Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2013;21:1164–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Strong J, Varady C, Chahda N, Doocy S, Burnham G. Health status and health needs of older refugees from Syria in Lebanon. Confl Health. 2015;9:12.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Tay JL, Tay YF, Klainin-Yobas P. Mental health literacy levels. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2018;32:757–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. National Health and Family Planning Commission of China. Circular of the General Office of the National Health and Family Planning Commission on Printing and Distributing the Evaluation Program for the Equalization of Basic Public Health and Family Planning Services for Migrant Population. http://www.nhc.gov.cn/rkjcyjtfzs/zcwj2/201707/7f400b6656694fb4b6ce7306cdf144dd.shtml. Accessed 9 Feb 2023.

  37. Kim YS, Lee HY, Lee MH, Simms T, Park BH. Mental health literacy in Korean older adults: a cross-sectional survey. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2017;24:523–33.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Belo P, Navarro-Pardo E, Pocinho R, Carrana P, Margarido C. Relationship between mental health and the education level in elderly people: mediation of leisure attitude. Front Psychol. 2020;11:573.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  39. Ruan Y, Zhu D, Lu J. Social adaptation and adaptation pressure among the “drifting elderly” in China: a qualitative study in Shanghai. Int J Health Plan Manag. 2019;34:E1149–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Gruzieva TS, Diachuk MD, Inshakova HV, Soroka IM, Dufynets VA. Health of the elderly people as the basis for formation of medical and social needs. Wiad Lek. 2021;74:658–64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Charmaz K. Loss of self: a fundamental form of suffering in the chronically ill. Sociol Health Illn. 1983;5:168–95.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Li Z, Li Y, Chen L, Chen P, Hu Y. Prevalence of depression in patients with hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine. 2015;94:e1317.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  43. Wang Z, Wu Q, Ming J. The relationship between homeownership and the utilization of local public health services among rural migrants in China: a Nationwide cross-sectional study. Front Public Health. 2020;8:589038.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  44. Wang J, Zhu J, Wang X, Che Y, Bai Y, Liu J. Sociodemographic disparities in the establishment of health records among 0.5 million migrants from 2014 to 2017 in China: a nationwide cross-sectional study. Int J Equity Health. 2021;20(1):250.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  45. Zhang F, Liu D, Geng X. Job mobility and subjective well-being among new-generation migrant Workers in China: the mediating role of interpersonal trust. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(18):11551.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  46. Liu Y, Sangthong R, Ingviya T, Wan C. Nothing like living with a family: a qualitative study of subjective well-being and its determinants among migrant and local elderly in Dongguan, China. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(23):4874.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  47. Chen W, Ling L, Renzaho AM. Building a new life in Australia: an analysis of the first wave of the longitudinal study of humanitarian migrants in Australia to assess the association between social integration and self-rated health. BMJ Open. 2017;7(3):e014313.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  48. Song L, Yang L, Peng X. An empirical study and policy thinking on the intergenerational care and health consequences of the Chinese elderly. Chinese J Demograph. 2020;01:55–69.

    Google Scholar 

  49. Tang S, Yang T, Ye C, et al. Research on grandchild care and depression of chinese older adults based on CHARLS2018: the mediating role of intergenerational support from children. BMC Public Health. 2022;22(1):137.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  50. Hadlaczky G, Hökby S, Mkrtchian A, Carli V, Wasserman D. Mental health first aid is an effective public health intervention for improving knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour: a meta-analysis. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2014;26:467–75.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Liu Y, Dijst M, Geertman S. Residential segregation and well-being inequality over time: a study on the local and migrant elderly people in Shanghai. Cities. 2015;49:1–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Shinkai S, Yoshida H, Taniguchi Y, Murayama H, Nishi M, Amano H, et al. Public health approach to preventing frailty in the community and its effect on healthy aging in Japan. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2016;16:87–97.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Tang S, Long C, Wang R, Liu Q, Feng D, Feng Z. Improving the utilization of essential public health services by Chinese elderly migrants: strategies and policy implication. J Glob Health. 2020;10:010807.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  54. Zhu Y, Gao J, Nie X, Dai J, Fu H. Associations of individual social capital with subjective well-being and mental health among migrants: a survey from five cities in China. Int Health. 2019;11:S64–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Guo C, Li N, Chen G, Zheng X. Mental health service utilization and its associated social factors among elderly people with a mental disability in China: a national population-based survey. Scand J Public Health. 2017;47:215–20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. Li J, Li J, Fu P, Chen Y, Tang X, Li Z, et al. Willingness of patients with chronic disease in rural China to contract with family doctors: implication for targeting characteristics. BMC Fam Pract. 2021;22:203.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  57. Yang L, Wang L, Dai X. Rural–urban and gender differences in the association between community care services and elderly individuals’ mental health: a case from Shaanxi Province, China. BMC Health Serv Res. 2021;21:106.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  58. Moztarzadeh A, O’Rourke N. Psychological and sociocultural adaptation: acculturation, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction among older Iranian immigrants in Canada. Clin Gerontol. 2014;38:114–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  59. Hu X, Cook S, Salazar MA. Internal migration and health in China. Lancet. 2008;372(9651):1717–8.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the China Migrant Population Service Center, National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China for providing the data and the training to use it.

Funding

This study was funded by the Humanities and Social Science Foundation of the Ministry of Education of China (22YJAZH137), the Key Research and Development Program of Shandong Province (Soft Science Project) (2022RKY07002), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (72004164).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, Weifang Medical University, NO.7166, Baotong West Street, Weifang, Shandong, China

    Wanchen Wang & Qiusha Li

  2. School of Management, Weifang Medical University, NO.7166, Baotong West Street, Weifang, Shandong, China

    Jia Song, Chengxin Fan, Dongping Ma & Wenqiang Yin

Authors
  1. Wanchen Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jia Song
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Chengxin Fan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Qiusha Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Dongping Ma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Wenqiang Yin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

WCW designed the study, performed the data analysis, and completed the first draft of this paper. JS and CXF were involved in the data collection and analysis. QSL was engaged in editing and revising the manuscript. DPM and WQY critically reviewed, revised, and added to the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wenqiang Yin.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The raw data used in this study were authorized by China’s National Population and Family Planning Commission. Each respondent provided informed consent before commencing the interview and completed the questionnaire anonymously. No experimental interventions were performed. As this study was a secondary analysis of deidentified data collected by the government, the ethics approval requirement was waived by the Medical Ethics Committee of Weifang Medical University. This study followed the guidelines issued in the Declaration of Helsinki where applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wang, W., Song, J., Fan, C. et al. Cross-sectional study of factors affecting the receipt of mental health education in older migrants in China. BMC Public Health 23, 376 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15287-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15287-6

Keywords

BMC Public Health

ISSN: 1471-2458

Contact us