Lonely Sunsets: Impacts of Rural–urban Migration on the Left‐behind Elderly in Rural China

Abstract

Drawing on the data from the research that samples 400 elderly who lived separately from their migrant children in 10 rural communities in China, this paper examines how the outmigration of rural youth shapes the situation of their older kin and analyses the consequences of the rural–urban migration for the old‐age support system. The research finds that a large scale of rural labour force has been drained off from rural societies and placed in a ‘semi‐proletarianized’ situation during the recent three decades of rapid social transformations. The rules and resources of traditional care system have been changed and family is no longer a ‘network of safety’ or reliable source of obtaining support for the elderly. Although some elastics and adaptabilities can be found in rural families, the family cannot soften and deal with all the risks popped up in the transformation independently. It can be said that the migration of the rural workforce to urban centres has degraded the welfare of the left‐behind elderly. Institutional interventions should no longer mystify and romanticise the role of the family, rather, it should look beyond the family level, caring more about ‘human beings’ instead of economy and efficiency. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The association between family members' migration and Epstein‐Barr virus antibody titers among people left behind in rural Fujian, China

“…Future research should include more detailed information on the reasons for migration in each household (ie, push or pull factors) which seem to affect the impact of outmigration on the psychological health of those left behind. In this study, neither household size, which has been shown to be one of the key components of family support in China (Zimmer & Kwong, 2003) nor contacts with migrants via telephone calls, which was suggested to be an essential way to maintain emotional connections (He & Ye, 2014), was associated with EBV antibody titers among those left behind; that is, they did not mitigate the stress of being left behind.…”

The Impact of Self-management Knowledge and Support on the Relationships Among Self-efficacy, Patient Activation, and Self-management in Rural Patients With Heart Failure

“…In addition, the study included more female subjects, which could also contribute to the selection bias. It has been reported that rural elderly women experienced greater social isolation and mental health issues compared to their urban counterparts, 49 which may affect the study results. On the other hand, the intervention provided by the original RCT appeared to be feasible and effective to improve SM behaviors and address SM needs in this vulnerable and high risk population.…”

Health Risk Assessment Indicators for the Left-Behind Elderly in Rural China: A Delphi Study

“…The higher the income and the medical condition, the better their health condition [38]. As some researchers point out, children's migration contributes to the material well-being of their parents and better economic status is associated with less adverse health outcomes [7,39]. Some studies also show that heavy living burden and shortage of available medical service resources lead to higher incidence of stroke and heart disease for the left behind elderly.…”

“…Some studies also show that heavy living burden and shortage of available medical service resources lead to higher incidence of stroke and heart disease for the left behind elderly. Also, when negative emotions such as loneliness increase, the mental health and self-rated health status reduce [21,39]. The three-level indicator with the largest weight value is the assistance provided by medical institutions.…”