Suchergebnisse

Background: In China, more than 10 million rural migrants move to cities every year. Because of the Household Registration System, migrant workers are not entitled to subsidised housing, education, social security or medical benefits. Aims: Using a resilience perspective, this study attempted to explore not only the migration stress that is experienced by migrant workers, but also the protective function of meaning of migration in helping migrant workers withstand the stress of migration. Method: A survey design with multistage cluster sampling was used and 475 migrant workers were recruited. The questionnaire contained demographic data, the Brief Symptom Inventory, a migration stress scale and meaning of migration scale. Results: Financial and employment difficulties stood out as the most stressful issues for migrant workers. More financial and material gains and personal aspirations and achievement were the most common reasons for living in Shanghai. Regression analyses revealed that financial and employment difficulties and interpersonal tensions and conflicts significantly predicted the mental health of both male and female migrant workers. In addition, while marital status significantly predicted the mental health of male migrant workers, the subscale `more financial and material gains' in the meaning of migration scale predicted the mental health of female migrant workers. Finally, there was a moderating effect of meaning of migration on the mental health of female migrant workers. Conclusion: There is a need to consolidate and develop policies to protect the rights of migrant workers in China. Mental health counselling for migrant workers who are experiencing difficulties living in Shanghai should be introduced.

The rural migrant worker population in China is attracting more and more attention because of its magnitude and potential economic and social impact on Chinese society. While literature abounds in describing the demographic trends and economic impacts of rural to urban migration, very few articles have been written about the psychosocial impacts of migration on the lives of rural migrant workers in urban China. Drawing on the concept of marginalisation, this article describes the nature and characteristics of marginalised living experienced by migrant workers. More importantly, it examines the underlying policy issues contributing to such marginalised living. It is argued that the Hukou system (household registration system), the process of decentralisation and the obscure role of trade unions have contributed to the experience of marginalisation of rural migrant workers in urban cities in China. Implications for policy changes are also discussed.

In China, there are over 170 million people suffering from mental illness. However, there is a lack of a critical review of the policies governing the provision of mental health services. Drawing on the framework of mental health policy developed by the WHO, this article critically examines mental health policies regarding legislation, financing, model of care and delivery, as well as manpower and the training of mental health professionals in China. This analysis raises a number of policy‐related questions concerning the lack of community‐based psychiatric services, inadequate coverage of mental health services in the rural areas, poor standard of education and an insufficient number of trained mental health professionals, and insufficient protection of the human rights of people with mental illness. The article ends by urging the various levels of governments to make a firm commitment to improve mental health care for people with mental illness in China.