Spousal migration and married adults’ psychological distress in rural China: The roles of intimacy, autonomy and responsibility

Abstract

Spousal separation due to migration is a prevalent phenomenon in the developing world, but its psychological consequences for left-behind partners are largely understudied. Using data from 2010, 2012 and 2014 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this paper first examined whether spousal migration causes rural married adults any psychological distress; this finding was then advanced by testing the mechanisms that could potentially explain the linkage between these two variables. Inverse Probability Weighting (IPW) for multivalued treatment effect models and paired Propensity Score Matching (PSM) have been used to correct the potential selection bias of spousal migration. The results show that prolonged spousal separation through migration increases the depressive symptoms of married adults in rural China, and the detrimental effects on left-behind spouses' psychological well-being can be explained by the reduced level of emotional intimacy between husband and wife, and partially by women becoming the master of the household. Considering that being the master of the household is accompanied by elevated stress levels associated with increasing family responsibilities, further examination showed that economic resources can buffer the negative effect associated with being the master of the household when the spouse migrates. However, we did not find that time use is an effective mechanism to link spousal migration and left-behind spouses' well-being.

Male out-migration and the health of left-behind wives in India: The roles of remittances, household responsibilities, and autonomy

“…Our findings are consistent with a recent study in India, reporting women's increased responsibilities in agricultural work, water fetching, and child care after husbands' migration and a negative consequence for women's food security, a risk factor for poor health ( Choithani, 2020 ). Another study in China also found a detrimental effect of husbands' migration on women's mental health through women's added responsibility of being the household master ( Tong et al, 2019 ).…”

“…In a patriarchal society, men usually act as the household head and take responsibilities for managing household affairs, family business, and agricultural production. In the husbands' absence, the wives undertake more responsibilities in farming, family business, household management, and child-rearing ( De Snyder, 1993 ; Mu and Van de Walle, 2011 ; Paris et al, 2005 ; Tong et al, 2019 ). For instance, in rice-producing villages of Uttar Pradesh, India, women undertook a broader range of farm tasks and a heavier workload to compensate for the absence of migrant husbands’ farm labor ( Paris et al 2005 ).…”

Socioeconomic development and young adults’ propensity of living in one-person households: Compositional and contextual effects

“…Those who choose to remain single and live alone may not face many negative consequences of living alone (Ho 2015;Raymo 2015), and the rise of solo living for them could be seen as reflecting an increased individualism. In contrast, migrants who leave their families behind to work and live alone in cities may be more negatively affected (Gu, Feng, and Yeung 2018;Tong, Chen, and Shu 2019). Results in this study underscore the importance of internal migration flows in shaping the high concentration of one-person households in the most developed areas in China.…”

“…In contrast to the findings of Klinenberg (2012) and other recent studies, our findings suggest that living alone in highly developed areas in China is largely a temporary, transitory arrangement for working-class migrants in that period. Despite its temporary nature, this living arrangement may have adverse long-term effects on migrants' family relations and individual well-being (Mu and Yeung 2020;Tong, Chen, and Shu 2019).…”

The role of family intimacy in playing collaborative e-sports with a Switch device to predict the experience of flow and anxiety during COVID-19 lockdown

“…Family intimacy refers to the emotional connection between family members ( Luo et al, 2020 ). Family intimacy can rebalance the family decision-making power and support the autonomy of family members ( Tong et al, 2019 ). It can reduce family conflict and psychological maladjustment, depression, and emotional disturbance at the individual level.…”