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Rural-urban migration and health: Evidence from longitudinal data in Indonesia

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  • Lu, Yao

Abstract

Previous studies on the impact of migration on health often face the difficulties of choosing the proper comparison group and addressing potential selection of migration. Using longitudinal data for 1997 and 2000 from Indonesia, this paper examines the effect of rural-urban migration on physical and psychological health, by (1) comparing the health of migrants with that of the appropriate group of comparison, people who remained in rural origins, and (2) studying health both prior to and after migration to adjust for possible selection bias. The research further explores various socioeconomic, psychosocial, and behavioral pathways mediating the migration effect. Results show that rural-urban labor migration increased the risk of psychological disorder as measured by depressive symptoms. This was largely a result of reduced social support due to family disruption, because the deleterious effect was particularly strong for migrants who moved alone and was negligible for migrants moving with family members. In contrast, migration had little impact on physical health in the medium term. This was largely attributed to the multiple offsetting influences of migration: migration improved economic status and living standards but led to increased work-related stressors and barriers to health utilization. In addition, despite earning higher income, migrants tend to underconsume and remit a large amount of earnings to original families, which hindered potential health gains from improved economic well-being.

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  • Lu, Yao, 2010. "Rural-urban migration and health: Evidence from longitudinal data in Indonesia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(3), pages 412-419, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:70:y:2010:i:3:p:412-419
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    4. Rus’an Nasrudin & Budy P. Resosudarmo, 2019. "Assimilation of rural-urban migrants under a less restrictive internal migration policy: Evidence from Indonesia," Departmental Working Papers 2019-04, The Australian National University, Arndt-Corden Department of Economics.
    5. Qian Guo & Wenkai Sun & Yijie Wang, 2017. "Effect of Parental Migration on Children's Health in Rural China," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(4), pages 1132-1157, November.
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    10. Chakrabarti, Averi, 2021. "Deforestation and infant mortality: Evidence from Indonesia," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    11. Yuying Tong & Martin Piotrowski, 2012. "Migration and Health Selectivity in the Context of Internal Migration in China, 1997–2009," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 31(4), pages 497-543, August.
    12. Smeekens, Chantal & Stroebe, Margaret S. & Abakoumkin, Georgios, 2012. "The impact of migratory separation from parents on the health of adolescents in the Philippines," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2250-2257.
    13. Prashant Kumar Singh & Rajesh Kumar Rai & Lucky Singh, 2012. "Examining the Effect of Household Wealth and Migration Status on Safe Delivery Care in Urban India, 1992–2006," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(9), pages 1-12, September.
    14. Chao Ma & Zhaopeng Qu & Zimeng Xu, 2020. "Internal Migration and Mental Health: An Examination of the Healthy Migration Phenomenon in China," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 39(3), pages 493-517, June.
    15. Bhan, Tanushree & Patel, Amit, 2023. "Migration and health: Exploring the effect of destinations on the health outcomes among rural-urban migrants in India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 331(C).
    16. Philip Anglewicz & Mark VanLandingham & Lucinda Manda-Taylor & Hans-Peter Kohler, 2018. "Health Selection, Migration, and HIV Infection in Malawi," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(3), pages 979-1007, June.
    17. Lijian Qin & Chien-Ping Chen & Xun Liu & Chenggang Wang & Zhongyi Jiang, 2015. "Health Status and Earnings of Migrant Workers from Rural China," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 23(2), pages 84-99, March.
    18. Yabiku, Scott T. & Agadjanian, Victor & Cau, Boaventura, 2012. "Labor migration and child mortality in Mozambique," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2530-2538.
    19. Florence Jusot & Sabine Mage & Marta Menendez, 2014. "Inequality of Opportunity in Health in Indonesia," Working Papers DT/2014/06, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    20. Kate Sollis & Budy P. Resosudarmo & Firman Witoelar & Riswandi Riswandi & Julius A. Mollet, 2023. "Migrant Status and the Wellbeing Gap: The Case of an Ethnically Diverse, High-Conflict Area in Indonesia," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 1781-1811, June.
    21. Lijian QIN & Shuangquan YU & Chenggang WANG & Zhongyi JIANG, 2013. "The impact of health on off-farm income of China's migrant workers," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 59(2), pages 90-99.
    22. Kathleen Ford & Aree Jampaklay & Aphichat Chamatrithirong, 2022. "Psychiatric symptoms among migrants to Malaysia from the southernmost provinces of Thailand," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 68(3), pages 533-540, May.
    23. Hung, Li-Wen & Peng, Shin-Kun, 2021. "Rural-urban migration with remittances and welfare analysis," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    24. Nan Sun & Fan Yang, 2024. "Effects and Mechanisms of Rural‒Urban Migration on Health in China," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 43(2), pages 1-23, April.
    25. Yao Lu & Peifeng Hu & Donald Treiman, 2012. "Migration and depressive symptoms in migrant-sending areas: findings from the survey of internal migration and health in China," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 57(4), pages 691-698, August.

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