How Migration and Its Types Affect Mental Health in Later Life: A Cross-Sectional Study Among the Older Persons in India

Background: Migration has extensive consequences on socioeconomic and health status among older persons at the place of destination; various factors in the migration process affect mental health, a prominent social determinant of health. However, no evidence exists of migration and health outcomes among India’s older persons. Thus, the current study investigates the association of migration patterns with depressive symptoms among older Indian persons.

Methods: This study used information on 30,629 older persons from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) wave-1, 2017-2018. Migration was calculated, and categories were based on boundary, duration, stream, and age at migration in this study. The depressive symptoms were calculated using the CES-D score. Using logistic regression models, the association of selected covariates and domains of migration on depressive symptoms were estimated to assess the links between migration and depressive symptoms.

Results: More than half of the older persons (56.3%) had migrant status in India. With the migration status in the selected domains, the prevalence of depression symptoms among older persons also increased. Older persons who migrated over the long distance had a long duration, and urban-to-rural streams were observed to have a higher level of depressive symptoms. Adjusting for sociodemographic factors, the effects suggested that longer distance and duration were estimated to have a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, respectively.

Conclusions: This study’s findings shed light on migration and its association with depression symptoms among older Indian persons. Older healthcare services should be expanded in breadth while also addressing migration, resulting in considerable improvements in older individuals’ mental health.