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Mental health of older migrants migrating along with adult children in China: a systematic review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 September 2020

Julia Juan Wang Open the ORCID record for Julia Juan Wang [Opens in a new window]  and
Daniel W. L. Lai Open the ORCID record for Daniel W. L. Lai [Opens in a new window]
Julia Juan Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong Shenzhen Elderly Healthcare College, Shenzhen Polytechnic, Shenzhen, China
Daniel W. L. Lai*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
*
*Corresponding author. Email: daniel_lai@hkbu.edu.hk
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Abstract

Due to urbanisation in China, about 7.74 million older people have migrated to urban centres, where their adult children reside and work, to care for their grandchildren. While older migrants may benefit from family reunion and mutual support, empirical studies have identified challenges to adaptation, integration and mental health. Employing a systematic literature review approach, this paper examines recent empirical studies on the mental health of older migrants migrating along with adult children in China, focusing on mental health and wellbeing outcomes and determinants and directions for social work interventions. It identifies directions for considering diversity in conceptualisations of mental health and in theoretical perspectives to enrich understanding of the experiences of Chinese older migrants migrating along with adult children and potential interventions.

Keywords

mental healthChinese older migrantsmigrating alongsystematic review
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 42 , Issue 4 , April 2022 , pp. 786 - 811
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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