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ObjectiveTo examine the mental health of the migrant children and to explore potential factors contributing to the mental health.MethodAccording to the residency registration and sex proportion, subjects were selected randomly from children aged 8-12 years in grade 3 to 6 from a primary school in Changsha. General questionnaire, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and Child Behaviour Checklist were administered to their parents, the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), Depression Self Rating Scale for Children (DSRSC) and Egna Minnen Betraffande Uppfostran (EMBU) were administered to the children. Chi-square analysis, nonparametric test, correlation analysis and multiple linear stepwise regression analysis were used to analyze data.Results1. Compared to the urban children, migrant children had significantly higher scores of social withdrawal, attention problems, internalizing problems and the total problems with lower scores of school, social and social competence (P<0.05).2. The scores of the migrant children were significantly higher for somatic/panic, generalized anxiety, school phobia, the total anxiety and depression than that of the urban children (P<0.05).3. The migrant children had significantly lower behavioral adjustment, intellectual and school status, physical appearance and attributes, freedom from anxiety, popularity, happiness and satisfaction and the total score than the control (P<0.05).4. Compared to the urban children, migrant children scored significantly lower in parental emotional warmth, favouring subjects and involvement (P<0.05).5. Parental emotional warmth was significantly positively correlated with the self-concept of migrant children, parental punishment, rejection and denial, overprotection were negatively correlated with self-concept, parental emotional warmth and favouring had negative correlation with depression, parental involvement, rejection and denial had a positive relationship with anxiety, father’s overprotection was positively correlated with behavioral problems and anxiety, but negatively with self-concept, mother’s emotional warmth, involvement and rejection and denial were positively with social competence (P<0.05).6. Regression analysis suggested the past physical health, mother’s emotional warmth, father’s emotional warmth, father’s punishment, age, father’s rejection and denial and living for more than 4 year were significant predictors of behavioral problems of migrant children; father’s overprotection, mother’s emotional warmth and age were significant predictors of anxiety; mother’s emotional warmth, age, mother’s occupation for farmers, workers significantly affected depression; mother’s emotional warmth, father’s overprotection significantly predicted self-concept.Conclusions1. Migrant children have significant behavioural problems compared to their counterparts in the city, and their social, school achievements are poor, social competence is less competent.2. Migrant children have significantly higher depression and anxiety and lower self-concept. They perceive less emotional warmth, favouring subjects and involvement from parents.3. The parenting practices significantly influence the behavior, social competence, anxiety, depression and self-concept of migrant children. Mother’s emotional warmth significantly predicts behavioral problems, anxiety, depression and self-concept; age differently predicts behavioral problems, anxiety and depression.
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