Abstract
BackgroundDespite reports of mental health issues, suicidality has not been closely examined among the migrant population. The association between induced abortion and suicidal ideation is unknown among unmarried female migrant workers of reproductive age in China. This study aims to examine induced abortion and suicidality among the Chinese migrant population.MethodsWe recruited 5115 unmarried female migrant workers during 2015 to 2016 from Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, and collected demographic, psychosocial, reproductive and mental health information using structured questionnaires. We used logistic regression models to examine the association between lifetime induced abortion and suicidal ideation during the past year among the subjects.ResultsOverall, 8.2% of the subjects had suicidal ideation during the past year, and 15.5% of the subjects experienced induced abortion. Induced abortion was associated with nearly twice the odds of having past-year suicidal ideation (Odds ratio, OR = 1.89; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.46, 2.44) after adjusting for age, education, years in the working place, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, daily internet use, attitude towards premarital pregnancy, multiple induced abortion, self-esteem, loneliness, depression, and anxiety disorders. The association was stronger in those aged > 25 (OR = 3.37, 95% CI = 2.16, 5.28), with > 5 years of stay in the working place (OR = 2.98, 95% CI = 2.02, 4.39), the non-anxiety group (OR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.74, 3.00), and the non-depression group (OR = 2.94, 95% CI = 2.08, 4.15).ConclusionsInduced abortion was associated with increased odds for suicidal ideation among the unmarried female migrant workers in urban cities in China. More attention should be paid to the mental health of the population.
Highlights
Despite reports of mental health issues, suicidality has not been closely examined among the migrant population
It was reported that younger age (18– 35 years) was a risk factor while male gender and being married were protective factors for depression and anxiety disorders in the general population [8,9,10], and unmarried female migrant workers of reproductive age might be under higher risk for developing mental health problems including suicidal ideation, which is defined as any self-reported thoughts of engaging in suicide-related behavior [11]
A total of 5578 unmarried female migrant workers agreed to participate in the study, with 5332 (95.6%) meeting the inclusion criteria and of them, 5115 (95.9%)
Summary
Despite reports of mental health issues, suicidality has not been closely examined among the migrant population. The association between induced abortion and suicidal ideation is unknown among unmarried female migrant workers of reproductive age in China. It was reported that younger age (18– 35 years) was a risk factor while male gender and being married were protective factors for depression and anxiety disorders in the general population [8,9,10], and unmarried female migrant workers of reproductive age might be under higher risk for developing mental health problems including suicidal ideation, which is defined as any self-reported thoughts of engaging in suicide-related behavior [11]. In a study conducted among rural young Chinese, the prevalence of serious past-year suicidal ideation was 1.3% among the migrant group and 3.0% among the nonmigrant group [17] Another one reported 9.2% past-year suicidal ideation among women of reproductive age working in entertainment venues in the capital city of one eastern Chinese province [18]. There is still a dearth of data on unmarried female migrant workers in China
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