Whose migration matters? The role of migration in social networks and mental health among rural older adults in China

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11200624
AutoresDan Tang (0000-0003-0364-2220), Danling Tang (0000-0002-4645-8688, Renmin University of China), Lili Xie (0000-0003-3579-8481, Renmin University of China, autor de correspondencia)
Año2023
Volumen43
Número6
Páginas1389-1408
Fecha de publicación2023-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x21001197
OpenAlexW3195372096
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas8
Referencias citadas54

The dual demographic changes in massive rural-to-urban labour migration and population ageing have significantly impacted the lives of older adults, who have either been left behind in rural regions or migrated to urban areas. While many extant studies on migration and wellbeing of older adults have focused on either migrating or left-behind older adults, a very limited number of studies have directly compared these two groups. Utilising data from the China Longitudinal Ageing Social Survey, this study examines the impacts of different migration patterns ( i.e. migrating older adults, left-behind older adults and non-migrating older adults) on the social networks and mental health of older adults in rural China. Structural equation modelling results showed that older adults who have been left behind reported weaker family ties and poorer mental health than the other older adults. Moreover, weakened family ties increased older adults’ risk of developing mental health problems. Older migrants reported the lowest level of depressive symptoms among the three groups of older adults. However, migration may be associated with poorer mental health among the older migrants due to the shrinking/weakening of family/friendship ties

China · Friendship · Geography · Interpersonal ties · Mental health · Older people · Population · Population ageing · Psychiatry · Rural area · Sociology · Demography · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology · Gerontology