Experiencing a Forced Relocation at Different Life Stages: The Effects of China's Three Gorges Project-induced Relocation on Depression

Guided by the life course perspective and the stress severity perspective, this study aims to evaluate the question: Does the Three Gorges Project-induced relocation affect people of different ages differently? Using a quasi-experimental design, we collected pre- and post-relocation data from a sample (n = 1,056) that consists of both relocatees and nonmovers from the Three Gorges region in China. We found that relocatees of all age groups have experienced a similar level of elevation of depressive symptoms due to the relocation. No age group was exempted from the detrimental effects of the Three Gorges Project-induced relocation. Although it is usually much easier for young adults to relocate, as compared to older adults, a forced relocation is such an extraordinary stressor that its strong effects have overridden other forces that normally shape our life experiences at different life stages.