Prevalence and correlates of major depressive disorder among rural-to-urban migrant workers from service industries of Shenzhen

Abstract

Objective To investigate the prevalence and related factors of major depressive disorder (MDD) among rural-to-urban migrant workers in service industries of Shenzhen. Methods 1 979 service industry migrant workers were recruited by respondent-driven sampling from communities in Shenzhen, administered with a socio-demographic questionnaire and perceived social support scale (PSSS), and interviewed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5.0. Results The current and lifetime weighted prevalence of MDD in service industry migrant workers were 2.5%(46/1 979) and 4.6%(89/1 979), respectively. The risk factors (OR) for lifetime MDD included being physically ill in the last two weeks (4.51), returning home less than once a year (1.83), feeling lonely often (2.76), having done more than 4 jobs(1.81) and total score of outside family support subscale of PSSS less than 38 (1.67). Conclusions Service industry migrant workers show similar prevalence of MDD compared to the Chinese general population. A comprehensive social and psychological intervention might be helpful in reducing the risk of MDD in migrant workers. Key words: Depressive disorder; Prevalence; Residential mobility