The role of the physical environment in adolescent mental health
Adolescents’ subjective perceptions of their neighborhoods, rather than objective measures, are linked to their mental health and well-being
This study investigated the role of the physical environment on adolescent mental health. Aspects of the environment considered included air pollution and access to greenspace. Previous research found both of these aspects to be associated with mental health, but the associations are in different directions: Mental health is negatively associated with exposure to air pollution and positively associated with exposure to greenspace. While this previous research is informative, it has a number of limitations: (a) few studies focused on mental health in adolescence specifically; (b) most included measures of either greenspace or air pollution but not both simultaneously; (c) the role of the social environment was not always considered; and (d) assessments of the environment were limited to objective measures. This study addressed these limitations.
Researchers used data from 3683 ten- to 15-year-olds from England and Wales who participated in a large general population study. Data included objective measures of greenspace, air pollution, and neighborhood deprivation, as well as adolescents’ subjective assessments of their social and physical environment. Subjective assessments were based on the adolescents’ perceptions of such aspects of their neighborhood as noise, safety, crime, and social cohesion. The adolescents’ mental health was measured by the self-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire which includes assessments of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems, and total difficulties. In analyzing the data, the researchers also considered gender, age, ethnicity, social class, and urbanicity/rurality of the neighborhood.
With more greenspace, there was less air pollution and less deprivation. Results showed that the objective measures of greenspace and air pollution could not predict mental health. The one consistent predictor of mental health and behavior was subjective fear of being a victim of crime. In fact, this fear was significantly associated with all five mental health and behavioral outcomes (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity and inattention, peer relationship problems, and total difficulties). Additionally, adolescents who did not like living in their neighborhoods and who were more worried about being a victim of crime had higher scores in hyperactivity and inattention. Adolescents who lived in more deprived areas also had more peer relationship problems.
This research calls attention to the essential role of adolescents’ subjective experience of their neighborhoods for their mental health and well-being.
Citation
Mueller, M.A.E., Flouri, E., Kokosi, T., (2019). The role of the physical environment in adolescent mental health. Health & Place, 58
