Psychological strains and psychological distress among Chinese rural migrant workers

This research note reports on a study that examined the psychological strains among migrant workers in China, and the potential negative life impact of these strains. It was hypothesized that psychological strains, resulting from social and psychological conflicts (value strain, aspiration strain, deprivation strain and coping strain), would be associated with greater psychological distress. Most of the sampled migrant workers experienced at least one of four types of strain. Independently, greater levels of all four types of strain were related to elevated self-reported psychological distress. Regression analyses showed that coping strain was the strongest predictor of psychological distress, whereas deprivation strain was not predictive when other types of strain were simultaneously considered. It is concluded that further research regarding the combined impact of social and personal factors in impacting both healthy and unhealthy psychological outcomes within the population of migrant workers in China is needed.