Migration is a common phenomenon today. Urban-to-urban migrants constitute a specific group of migrants in China. Although the number of urban-to-urban migrants is smaller than that of rural-to-urban migrants, they are an essential part for the social development because of their distinctive characteristics. Research on the mental health of migrants in China is in its infancy at the present time with only on a narrow range of research areas involving only homogeneous group. As there is no research so far on the urban-to-urban migrants in China, it is valuable to explore their psychological characteristic and influencing factors. In the current study, we explored the characteristics of social support, the relationship between social support and adaptation, and the moderation effect of sex or the length of residence in the current location on the relationship between social support and adaptation in a sample of urban-to-urban migrants. Data were derived from the Chinese Mental Health Survey Database 2007, including 1258 urban-to-urban migrants with average age of (35.30±9.56) years, 565 rural-to-urban migrants with average age of (29.44±9.26) years and 3175 local urban residents with average age of (36.79±9.29) years. Local urban residents and rural-to-urban migrants are reference groups. Measurements included the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Chinese Mental Health Inventory Scale (CMHI), Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). The main findings are as follows: 1、The level of social support of urban-to-urban migrants was significantly lower than that of local urban residents. The longer they stayed in their current location, the higher their social support level. 2、The level of mental health and life satisfaction of urban-to-urban migrants, which can be predicted by social support, is significantly lower than that of local urban residents. 3、Among urban-to-urban migrants, the social support level for females was significantly lower than that of males. Social support also had bigger influence on females’ mental health than on males’. Based on the current findings, we came to the conclusion that urban-to-urban migrants had lower levels of social support, mental health and life satisfaction compared to local urban residents. More attention should be paid to such groups as female migrants and those who have been living in their current location for a short period of time. Given that research on psychological characteristics of migrants in China is in its infancy, more research should be conducted on this specific group in the future.
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