Cohort study on determinants of mental health of migrant adolescents in junior high schools / 中华疾病控制杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To analyze the status, changing trends and determinants of mental health of migrant adolescents in junior high schools. Methods All of the data came from China Education Panel Survey (CEPS). CEPS baseline survey was conducted during the 2013-2014 school year by using a stratified multistage probability sampling design. 10 279 nationally representative adolescents from the seventh grade in junior high schools were enrolled in the base school year of data collection and 9 449 participants were followed up at the second wave of data collection during the 2014-2015 school year. Our analytic sample (n=1 645) included all the migrant adolescents who had valid data on mental health. Based on CEPS self-reported mental health scale, t-test method and multivariate linear regression model were used to examine the determinants of mental health of migrant adolescents by performing univariate analysis and multivariate analysis. Results The baseline mental health score of migrant adolescents was (8.33±3.31), higher than that of non-migrant adolescents, and significantly increased to (8.60±3.79) in the follow-up school year. 43.3% of participants had negative mental status at higher frequency as time went on. Sex, cognitive skills, co-residence arrangements, numbers of siblings and school rankings were significant influencing factors for mental health score of migrant adolescents. Conclusions The mental health status of migrant adolescents are more vulnerable than that of non-migrant adolescents and continue deteriorating. Among migrant adolescents, female, those with weak cognitive skills, those who do not live with both parents, those who are not only children and those in schools ranking medium and above are more likely to have a poor mental health state.