Prevalence of psychological symptoms among Chinese land-lost farmers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies by using the SCL-90-R.

Purpose of review: Land-expropriated farmers have become a large and rapidly growing subpopulation in recent decades due to China's unprecedented industrialization and urbanization. Land appropriation has detrimental effects on the mental health of land-lost farmers. However, existing studies have conflicting findings on the severity and types of psychological symptoms among land-lost farmers compared to the general population. This review presents a meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies that assessed the psychological symptoms of land-lost farmers using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R).

Recent findings: Major Chinese- and English-language databases were searched and eight eligible studies reporting the SCL-90-R subscale scores and standard deviations among Chinese land-lost farmers were included. Meta-analysis results showed that, among land-lost farmers, phobia was the most prominent psychological symptom (Cohen's d  = 0.55), followed by depression ( d  = 0.42), somatization ( d  = 0.38), anxiety ( d  = 0.35), interpersonal sensitivity ( d  = 0.29), and hostility ( d  = 0.25).

Summary: Chinese land-lost farmers exhibit several significant psychological symptoms, including phobia, depression, somatization, anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity, and hostility. These data suggest a pressing need to integrate mental health support into existing social services and policies aimed at assisting land-lost farmers.