Perceived Discrimination and Subjective Well-being in Chinese Migrant Adolescents: Collective and Personal Self-esteem As Mediators.

Xuji Jia,Xia Liu,Baoguo Shi

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01213

Abstract

This study aimed to examine whether collective and personal self-esteem serve as mediators in the relationship between perceived discrimination and subjective well-being among Chinese rural-to-urban migrant adolescents. Six hundred and ninety-two adolescents completed a perceived discrimination scale, a collective self-esteem scale, a personal self-esteem scale, and a subjective well-being scale. Structural equation modeling was used to test the mediation hypothesis. The analysis indicated that both collective and personal self-esteem partially mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and subjective well-being. The final model also revealed a significant path from perceived discrimination through collective and personal self-esteem to subjective well-being. These findings contribute to the understanding of the complicated relationships among perceived discrimination, collective and personal self-esteem, and subjective well-being. The findings suggest that collective and personal self-esteem are possible targets for interventions aimed at improving subjective well-being. Programs to nurture both the personal and collective self-esteem of migrant adolescents may help to weaken the negative relationships between perceived discrimination and subjective well-being.

Highlights

Based on the Sixth National Population Census of China of 2010, more than 236 million people in China have migrated from rural to urban areas in search of better living conditions; 35.81 million of them are children under the age of 18 (National Committee on Family Planning, 2013)
As shown, perceived discrimination was negatively correlated with different dimensions of collective self-esteem, personal self-esteem, life satisfaction, and negative affect
There were positive correlations among collective self-esteem, personal selfesteem, life satisfaction, and positive affect, whereas negative associations were found between negative affect and the other variables

Summary

Introduction

Based on the Sixth National Population Census of China of 2010, more than 236 million people in China have migrated from rural to urban areas in search of better living conditions; 35.81 million of them are children under the age of 18 (National Committee on Family Planning, 2013). These migrant children who accompany their parents cannot enjoy rights equal to local children in the cities because of the household registration system (Hukou). Chinese rural-tourban migrants in cities do not have a local household registration; they are considered temporary residents and are not granted equal access to education, medical care, and other social services in the cities where they live

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Results

Conclusion