From Crisis to Peri-Urban Precarity: The Dynamics of Place Disutility in Distress Migration

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Distress migration has grown into a pervasive issue in the Global South, especially in Indonesia, where chronic rural problems, environmental degradation, and constrained opportunities have forced many people to migrate under stressful circumstances. While often treated as a passive response to adversity, this study repositions distress migration as a process of stress transformation, a dynamic negotiation of multidimensional disutility shaped by personal, social, and structural factors. Based on Wolpert's (1965) behavioral migration theory, as well as later contributions from De Jong and Fawcett (1981) and Courgeau (1995), this study investigates how distress migrants cope with their dissatisfaction in seven discrete arenas of life: welfare, status, comfort, stimulation, autonomy, affiliation, and morality. The goals of this research are threefold: (1) conceptualize place disutility as an indicator of migrant stress; (2) compare differences in stress experience pre- and post-migration; and (3) analyze how migrant profiles influence stress typologies in peri-urban Indonesia.

Methodology: The research was conducted in Bogor Regency, which served as the destination area, while Brebes and Sukoharjo were the sending areas.  Quantitative data were gathered from 110 informal-sector migrants using structured questionnaires that measured disutility levels in origin and destination settings. Stress thresholds were defined to categorize migrants into four types: Stable Low Stress, Stress Relief, Persistently High Stress, and Stress Escalation. Qualitative data, obtained via in-depth interviews and observations, contextualized the quantitative findings, and enriched the understanding of coping mechanisms and adaptation processes. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, chi-square test, and logistic regression.

Main Results: Positive stress transformation was found in 63.6% of the respondents, with significant well-being, stimulation, and autonomy disutility. Following migration, affiliation- and morality-related stress deteriorated, indicating social and ethical dissonance at the destination. Approximately 28.2% of migrants remained in high-stress conditions (Persistently High), whereas 8.2% experienced worsening stress (Stress Escalation). Logistic regression results identified household poverty, long working hours, and the absence of administrative inclusion (e.g., KTP domicile) as key predictors of negative stress transformation.

Discussions: This study contests the reductionist approach, which defines migration merely as success or failure. Often, migrants overcome material barriers through migration, but simultaneously face increased social and ethical difficulties. The results suggest that economic benefits are accompanied by alienation, a sense of nonbelonging, and moral decay. Thus, migration should be considered a partial solution to disutility rather than a panacea. Inclusive government, good working conditions, and social protection are essential for ordinary resilience (Masten, 2001). Place disutility, investigated using Courgeau's spatial perception theory, provides a solid theoretical account of distress-driven migration paradoxes.

Conclusions: Peri-urban distress migration in Indonesia is not a simple escape from adversity or guarantee of security. It is a complex process of managing stress that provides economic relief, whereas others remain vulnerable. Policy frameworks must go beyond economic interventions to legal recognition, inclusive social networks, and labor abuse protection. Recognizing distress migrants as active adapters rather than passive victims can improve migration governance.