Experiences of discrimination and self-reported health in Chinese migrants: a structural equation model

BackgroundMany migrants suffer from discrimination and poor health in China. We sought to examine the associations between experiences of discrimination and self-reported health among internal migrants in China, as well as the mediators of social integration and perceived stress.MethodsThe data was obtained from a specific survey of migrants, as a part of the National Health and Family Planning Dynamic Monitoring for Migrants conducted in 2014. A total of 15,999 migrants aged 15 to 59years were recruited by a stratified, multistage clustered sampling procedure in eight Chinese cities. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was conducted.ResultsThe results indicated that experiences of discrimination were associated with worse self-reported health (beta=-0.32, P<0.001), less social integration (<beta>=-0.25, P<0.001), as well as higher perceived stress (<beta>=0.21, P<0.01). Both objectively measured socioeconomic status (<beta>=0.21, P<0.001) and subjective social status (<beta>=0.21, P<0.01) had significantly positive correlations with self-reported health.ConclusionsThe discrimination, social exclusion and perceived stress experienced by migrants have significant implications on their health.