Socio-Economic Development and Mental Health Connection in China: Evidence from China Family Panel Study

Abstract

With the growing public awareness and attention towards mental health issues, policymakers and researchers are constantly increasing their efforts. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between socio-economic factors and mental health in China. The data used in this study is from a large scale nationally representative survey (the 2016 China Family Panel Studies). The CFPS is funded by the Chinese government through Peking University and conducted by the Institute of Social Science Survey (ISSS), which covers 16,000 households in 25 provinces in China using various questionnaires. Participants included in the survey are aged 16 and above. An Ordered Probit model is applied in this study. Life satisfaction is the dependent variable, and independent variables are total annual income for all jobs, sleeping hours per day, age, gender, currently registered residence, the highest academic background, and current marital status in this study. The results indicated that there is a positive relationship between independent variables such as total income, sleeping hours per day and age with the dependent variable life satisfaction. Compared to people whose educational attainment is equal or below Primary School, people who have finished Junior High and Senior High have worse mental health but people whose degree is above Senior High have better mental health. Furthermore, the results indicated that if people get divorced, they have a much higher probability to have mental health problems. In addition, males are more vulnerable than females overall, especially when both females and males get divorced.