The determinants of mental health inequalities between Chinese migrants and non-migrants during the Shanghai 2022 lockdown: a Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition.

Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101147692 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1475-9276 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14759276 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Equity Health Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: [London] : BioMed Central, 2002-

COVID-19*/psychology ; Depression*/psychology ; Loneliness*/psychology ; Mental Health* ; Transients and Migrants*/psychology ; Transients and Migrants*/statistics & numerical data; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Anger ; Anxiety/psychology ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; East Asian People ; Health Status Disparities ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Quarantine/psychology

Background: The mental health inequality between migrants and non-migrants was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying key determinants of this inequality is essential in promoting health equity.
Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited Shanghai residents by purposive sampling during the city-wide lockdown (from April 29 to June 1, 2022) using an online questionnaire. Migration statuses (non-migrants, permanent migrants, and temporary migrants) were identified by migration experience and by household registration in Shanghai. Mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, loneliness, and problematic anger) were assessed by self-report scales. The nonlinear Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition was used to quantify mental health inequality (i.e., differences in predicted probabilities between migration groups) and the contribution of expected correlates (i.e., change in predicted probability associated with variation in the correlate divided by the group difference).
Results: The study included 2738 participants (771 [28.2%] non-migrants; 389 [14.2%] permanent migrants; 1578 [57.6%] temporary migrants). We found inequalities in depression (7.1%) and problematic anger (7.8%) between permanent migrants and non-migrants, and inequalities in anxiety (7.3%) and loneliness (11.3%) between temporary migrants and non-migrants. When comparing permanent migrants and non-migrants, age and social capital explained 12.7% and 17.1% of the inequality in depression, and 13.3% and 21.4% of the inequality in problematic anger. Between temporary migrants and non-migrants, age and social capital also significantly contributed to anxiety inequality (23.0% and 18.2%) and loneliness inequality (26.5% and 16.3%), while monthly household income (20.4%) and loss of monthly household income (34.0%) contributed the most to anxiety inequality.
Conclusions: Significant inequalities in depression and problematic anger among permanent migrants and inequalities in anxiety and loneliness among temporary migrants were observed. Strengthening social capital and economic security can aid in public health emergency preparedness and promote mental health equity among migrant populations.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)

Soc Sci Med. 2010 Jul;71(1):84-92. (PMID: 20403653)
BMC Public Health. 2022 Apr 19;22(1):789. (PMID: 35439981)
Int Health. 2019 Oct 31;11(S1):S55-S63. (PMID: 31670817)
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2022 Sep-Oct;102:104740. (PMID: 35716479)
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 14;19(18):. (PMID: 36141835)
BMJ Open. 2020 Dec 2;10(12):e041446. (PMID: 33268428)
Depress Anxiety. 2014 Feb;31(2):166-73. (PMID: 23801571)
Popul Space Place. 2023 Jan;29(1):e2640. (PMID: 36721421)
Glob Public Health. 2023 Jan;18(1):2246066. (PMID: 37585568)
JAMA Psychiatry. 2022 Apr 1;79(4):283-284. (PMID: 35195678)
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 08;20(4):. (PMID: 36833663)
Epilepsy Res. 2016 Feb;120:31-6. (PMID: 26709880)
BMJ Glob Health. 2020 Jul;5(7):. (PMID: 32641292)
Fam Med. 1998 Jul-Aug;30(7):508-12. (PMID: 9669164)
Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2008 Mar;54(2):131-43. (PMID: 18488407)
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2021 Jul 13;109:110236. (PMID: 33373680)
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2020 Apr;28(4):478-490. (PMID: 31500897)
Lancet. 2018 Oct 27;392(10157):1553-1598. (PMID: 30314863)
Psychol Health. 2022 Sep;37(9):1076-1092. (PMID: 33980091)
J Pers Soc Psychol. 2021 Sep;121(3):669-690. (PMID: 33119390)
BMC Public Health. 2022 Jul 23;22(1):1407. (PMID: 35870910)
Front Public Health. 2022 Dec 15;10:1056885. (PMID: 36589980)
Annu Rev Public Health. 2006;27:167-94. (PMID: 16533114)
J Clin Sleep Med. 2020 Aug 15;16(8):1417-1418. (PMID: 32351206)
JAMA. 2020 Jun 9;323(22):2290-2300. (PMID: 32515813)
Circulation. 2023 Jan 17;147(3):190-200. (PMID: 36334260)
J Psychiatr Res. 2019 Dec;119:48-59. (PMID: 31563857)
J Affect Disord. 2022 Oct 15;315:182-189. (PMID: 35926662)
Lancet. 2021 Nov 6;398(10312):1700-1712. (PMID: 34634250)
BMC Public Health. 2017 Jan 25;17(1):117. (PMID: 28122593)
Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2014 Sep-Oct;36(5):539-44. (PMID: 25023953)
BMJ Glob Health. 2021 Dec;6(12):. (PMID: 34952855)
JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Jul 1;3(7):e2014053. (PMID: 32609353)
PLoS Med. 2020 Sep 21;17(9):e1003337. (PMID: 32956381)
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2017 Dec;52(12):1513-1522. (PMID: 28916860)
Front Public Health. 2022 Nov 18;10:1055712. (PMID: 36466539)
Lancet Public Health. 2022 Jun;7(6):e515-e528. (PMID: 35660213)
Sci Total Environ. 2022 Aug 15;834:155276. (PMID: 35439503)
PLoS One. 2022 Sep 15;17(9):e0274669. (PMID: 36108070)

2022B1515020094 Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of Guangdong Province

Keywords: Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition; Emergency Psychiatry; Health inequalities; Lockdown; Mental Health; Social determinants of Health

Date Created: 20240709 Date Completed: 20240710 Latest Revision: 20240901

20240901

PMC11232248

10.1186/s12939-024-02223-2

38982412