Quality of life of migrant children in urban China

Abstract

Migration is generally associated with poorer child health and well-being. Currently, the number of rural-to-urban migrant children has reached 35.81 million in China. Migrant children and their families have limited access to services funded by local government due to the lack of a local hukou. A comprehensive meta-analysis has identified various major disadvantages for migrant children in comparison with their local urban counterparts, including a greater problem with in-/externalizing behaviors, additional adaptation difficulties, more physical health problems, and lower utilization rates of health services. In addition, the meta-analysis also summarizes protective and risk factors for the health outcomes of migrant children, including children’s interpersonal relationships, academic performance, and perceived discrimination. However, the effects of migration on the health of migrant children cannot be fully investigated through the above outcomes. In addition, the previous studies did not address heterogeneity in migrant children, which is related to their school types. Further, the protective and risk factors are not fully addressed. Therefore, a cross-sectional study is employed to conduct surveys among 1,577 children at the grades four to six in Shanghai. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) is used to measure the main outcome of interest. The results reveal the poor quality of life of migrant children compared with their local urban counterparts; migrant children in privately-run schools are even more disadvantaged than those in public schools. In addition, this study has identified a series of protective and risk factors for the quality of life of children. For instance, homeownership, the availability of a private room for a child, participation in extracurricular activities/courses, and social capital plays a protective role for the quality of life of children. However, school transfers, living in a single-parent family, and presence of siblings are the risk factors for the quality of life of children. In addition, the current study attempts to explore the role of social capital in mediating the negative effects of migration status on the quality of life of children. This study employs the Social Capital Questionnaire for Adolescent Students (SCQ-AS) to measure the social capital of migrant children. The results indicate that migrant children can resort to their surrounding relationships. Further, neighborhood cohesion, trust in school, and maternal autonomy support shows mediation effects in the linkage between migration status and the quality of life. This study is one of the first to investigate health outcomes for migrant children via PedQL in China, which avoids preconceptions in migrant children and enriches the understanding of the internal migration. In addition, this study provides a policy alternative to alleviate the negative effects of hukou among migrant children, which is enhancing the social capital of children. The importance of this study lies in its relevance in influencing the welfare policy of China, not least of which is the introduction of family and community perspectives in policy and service. Last but not least, this study highlights the urgent needs of migrant children in urban China; therefore, it calls for more support on the migrant children and families.