| This study examined potential age differentials in stress resulting from the involuntary migration of 1.3 million Chinese in China's Three Gorges area.; Lifecycle theory, maturity theory, cohort effect theory, and stress process theory were used to guide the research. Alternative hypothesis with regards to age differentials in stress derived from the four different theories were tested.; A pre-migration survey conducted in 2003 provided the data for the study. The survey relied on the multi-stage stratified sampling method and produced a sample consisted of 975 designated migrants and 555 non-migrants (which serves as the comparison group) selected from the same region.; Significant age differentials in migration effects were noted in the analyses. The involuntary migration had a significant negative effect on the oldest age group, but had little effects on migrants of younger age groups. These differentials, however, were reduced but not eliminated after controlling for stress process variables, social demographic variables, and other stressors.; The observed age differentials in the migration effect resulted from a combination of direct and indirect effects. Anticipation of the forced migration exerted not only a greater direct stressful effect on old designated migrants than on their younger counterparts, it also weakened the social and psychological resources of older migrants more so than it did that of the younger migrants. The study confirms the wisdom of lifecycle theories that what is considered a good move for people of one age may be viewed as a bad move by people of a different age. In addition, it reaffirms the long-held sociological wisdom that whether a stressful event would result in a stress outcome is contingent upon the social position and the resources of those who are exposed to the event. |
