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Depressive Symptoms of Chinese Children: Prevalence and Correlated Factors among Subgroups

Author

Listed:
  • Mi Zhou

    (College of Economics and Management, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China)

  • Guangsheng Zhang

    (School of Business, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110031, China)

  • Scott Rozelle

    (Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

  • Kaleigh Kenny

    (Rural Education Action Program, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

  • Hao Xue

    (School of Economics and Management, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
    Center for Experimental Economics in Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710127, China)

Abstract

Economic growth and socioeconomic changes have transformed nearly every aspect of childhood in China, and many are worried by the increasing prevalence of mental health issues among children, particularly depression. To provide insight into the distribution of depressive symptoms among children in China and identify vulnerable groups, we use data from the 2012 China Family Panel Survey (CFPS), a survey that collected data from a large, nationally representative sample of the Chinese population. Using the CFPS data, we construct a sample of 2679 children aged 10–15 years old from 25 provinces in China. According to our results, the incidence of depression varies by geographic area. Specifically, we find that rates of depressive symptoms are significantly lower in urban areas (14% of sample children) than in rural areas (23% of sample children). Our results also show that children from ethnic minorities, from poorer families, and whose parents are depressed are more likely to be depressed than other children. In contrast, we find that depressive symptoms do not vary by gender.

Suggested Citation

  • Mi Zhou & Guangsheng Zhang & Scott Rozelle & Kaleigh Kenny & Hao Xue, 2018. "Depressive Symptoms of Chinese Children: Prevalence and Correlated Factors among Subgroups," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-10, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:2:p:283-:d:130609
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hongbin Li & Junsen Zhang & Yi Zhu, 2008. "The quantity-Quality trade-Off of children In a developing country: Identification using chinese twins," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 45(1), pages 223-243, February.
    2. Van de Poel, Ellen & O'Donnell, Owen & Van Doorslaer, Eddy, 2007. "Are urban children really healthier? Evidence from 47 developing countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(10), pages 1986-2003, November.
    3. Ellen van de Poel & Owen O'Donnell & Eddy van Doorslaer, 2007. "Are Urban Children really healthier?," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 07-035/3, Tinbergen Institute.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Xinli Chi & Liuyue Huang & Jian Wang & Peichao Zhang, 2020. "The Prevalence and Socio-Demographic Correlates of Depressive Symptoms in Early Adolescents in China: Differences in Only Child and Non-Only Child Groups," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-14, January.
    2. Yao Fu & Jia Chen, 2022. "The Influence of Parental Migration on Left-behind Children’s Mental Health in China: the Mediating Roles of Daily Stress and Sense-Making," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(5), pages 2455-2477, October.
    3. Lixia Yan & Siyuan Wang & Yang Yuan & Yu Zhang & Junhua Zhang, 2022. "Depressive Symptoms of Chinese Rural-to-Urban Migrant Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(4), pages 21582440221, October.
    4. Qi Jiang & Xinshu She & Sarah-Eve Dill & Sean Sylvia & Manpreet Kaur Singh & Huan Wang & Matthew Boswell & Scott Rozelle, 2022. "Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms among Children and Adolescents in Rural China: A Large-Scale Epidemiological Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-16, April.
    5. Liqin Zhang & Lin Wu, 2021. "Effects of Environmental Quality Perception on Depression: Subjective Social Class as a Mediator," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-14, June.
    6. Mi Zhou & Biyu Bian & Weiming Zhu & Li Huang, 2021. "A Half Century of Research on Childhood and Adolescent Depression: Science Mapping the Literature, 1970 to 2019," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-20, September.
    7. Yujuan Gao & Derek Hu & Evan Peng & Cody Abbey & Yue Ma & Chyi-In Wu & Chia-Yuan Chang & Wei-Ting Hung & Scott Rozelle, 2020. "Depressive Symptoms and the Link with Academic Performance among Rural Taiwanese Children," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-15, April.
    8. Tianli Feng & Xiyuan Jia & Lucy Pappas & Xiaojun Zheng & Teresa Shao & Letao Sun & Charlie Weisberg & Madeline Lu Li & Scott Rozelle & Yue Ma, 2022. "Academic Performance and the Link with Depressive Symptoms among Rural Han and Minority Chinese Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-20, May.
    9. Mi Zhou & Xiaotong Sun & Li Huang & Guangsheng Zhang & Kaleigh Kenny & Hao Xue & Emma Auden & Scott Rozelle, 2018. "Parental Migration and Left-Behind Children’s Depressive Symptoms: Estimation Based on a Nationally-Representative Panel Dataset," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-13, May.
    10. Chun Chen & Yu Sun & Boyuan Liu & Xiao Zhang & Yingquan Song, 2022. "The Latent Class Analysis of Adverse Childhood Experiences among Chinese Children and Early Adolescents in Rural Areas and Their Association with Depression and Suicidal Ideation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-13, November.

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