Department of Social Work, East China University of Science & Technology, Shanghai, China.
Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2013 Mar;59(2):114-22. doi: 10.1177/0020764011423467. Epub 2011 Oct 19.
There are approximately 47.5 million female migrant workers living in major cities in China. Numerous studies have documented the marginalized living conditions confronting migrant workers in cities, such as employment difficulties, unjustifiably demanding working conditions, lack of medical insurance and social provision, poor housing conditions, unfavourable educational arrangements for migrant children, and discrimination by urban residents. In addition, female migrant workers may suffer from discrimination, exploitation and oppression.
This study aimed to explore the difficulties and perceived meaningfulness of migration and their effect on the mental health status of female migrant workers in Shanghai, Kunshan, Dongguan and Shenzhen.
A total of 959 female migrant workers from 12 factories completed the questionnaires, which included the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Migration Stress Scale and the Meaning in Migration Scale.
The findings indicate that 24% of female migrant workers could be classified as having poor mental health and the percentage in Shenzhen (35%) was far greater than in the three other cities in China. 'Financial and employment-related difficulties', 'cultural differences', gender-specific stressors and 'better future for self and children' significantly accounted for the mental health outcomes of female migrant workers.
Recommendations for policy change and service initiatives targeted at improving the mental health of female migrant workers are discussed.
中国主要城市中约有 4750 万女性农民工。许多研究记录了农民工在城市中面临的边缘化生活条件，例如就业困难、工作条件不公正、缺乏医疗保险和社会福利、住房条件差、农民工子女教育安排不利以及城市居民的歧视。此外，女性农民工可能会遭受歧视、剥削和压迫。
本研究旨在探讨女性农民工在上海、昆山、东莞和深圳的迁移困难和意义感知及其对其心理健康状况的影响。
共有 12 家工厂的 959 名女性农民工完成了问卷，其中包括简明症状量表、迁移压力量表和迁移意义量表。
研究结果表明，24%的女性农民工可能被归类为心理健康状况不佳，而深圳（35%）的这一比例远远高于中国其他三个城市。“财务和就业相关困难”、“文化差异”、性别特定的压力源和“为自己和孩子创造更好的未来”显著影响了女性农民工的心理健康状况。
讨论了针对改善女性农民工心理健康的政策变革和服务举措的建议。
