An official website of the United States government
Abstract Mental distress among young people has increased in recent years. Research suggests that greenspace may benefit mental health. The objective of this exploratory study is to further understanding of place‐based differences (i.e., urbanity) in the greenspace‐mental health association. We leverage publicly available greenspace data sets to operationalize greenspace quantity, quality, and accessibility metrics at the community‐level. Emergency department visits for young people (ages 24 and under) were coded for: anxiety, depression, mood disorders, mental and behavioral disorders, and substance use disorders. Generalized linear models investigated the association between greenspace metrics and community‐level mental health burden; results are reported as prevalence rate ratios (PRR). Urban and suburban communities with the lowest quantities of greenspace had the highest prevalence of poor mental health outcomes, particularly for mood disorders in urban areas (PRR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.16–1.21), and substance use disorders in suburban areas (PRR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.28–1.43). In urban, micropolitan, and rural/isolated areas further distance to greenspace was associated with a higher prevalence of poor mental health outcomes; this association was most pronounced for substance use disorders (PRRUrban: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.29–1.32; PRRMicropolitan: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.43–1.51; PRRRural 2.38: 95% CI: 2.19–2.58). In small towns and rural/isolated communities, poor mental health outcomes were more prevalent in communities with the worst greenspace quality; this association was most pronounced for mental and behavioral disorders in small towns (PRR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.24–1.35), and for anxiety disorders in rural/isolated communities (PRR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.43–1.82). The association between greenspace metrics and mental health outcomes among young people is place‐based with variations across the rural‐urban continuum.
more »
« less
Natural hazards and mental health among US Gulf Coast residents
Background: Individuals affected by disasters are at risk for adverse mental health sequelae. Individuals living in the US Gulf Coast have experienced many recent major disasters, but few studies have explored the cumulative burden of experiencing multiple disasters on mental health. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between disaster burden and mental health. Methods: We used data from 9278 Gulf Long-term Follow-up Study participants who completed questionnaires on perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 2011-2013. We linked 2005-2010 county-level data from the Spatial Hazard Events and Losses Database for the United States, a database of loss-causing events, to participant's home address. Exposure measures included total count of loss events as well as severity quantified as property/crop losses per capita from all hazards. We used multilevel modeling to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for each exposure-outcome relationship. Results: Total count of loss events was positively associated with perceived stress (ORQ4:1.40, 95% CI:1.21-1.61) and was inversely associated with PTSD (ORQ4:0.66, 95% CI:0.45-0.96). Total duration of exposure was also associated with stress (ORQ4:1.16, 95% CI:1.01-1.33) but not with other outcomes. Severity based on cumulative fatalities/injuries was associated with anxiety (ORQ4:1.31, 95% CI:1.05-1.63) and stress (ORQ4:1.34, 95% CI:1.15-1.57), and severity based on cumulative property/crop losses was associated with anxiety (ORQ4:1.42, 95% CI:1.12-1.81), depression (ORQ4:1.22, 95% CI:0.95-1.57) and PTSD (ORQ4:1.99, 95% CI:1.44-2.76). Keywords: PTSD; disasters; mental health; natural hazards.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1828010
- PAR ID:
- 10277385
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
- ISSN:
- 1559-0631
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
IMPORTANCE Length of custody is a mechanism by which carceral systems can worsen health. However, there are fewer studies examining US immigration detention, in large part because US immigration detention is largely privately operated and opaque by design. OBJECTIVES To examine the association between duration spent in US immigration detention with subsequent health outcomes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cross-sectional study used a referral sample of recently detained immigrants who were released from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under a series of court orders in 2020 and 2021. Data were analyzed from June 2023 to October 2024. EXPOSURE Detention duration less than 6 months vs 6 months or longer. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES We used multivariable regression analysis to assess the association of detention duration and several variables: (1) self-rated health, (2) mental illness (Kessler 6-item psychological distress scale), and (3) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Primary Care-PTSD-5 Screen).We then calculated the likelihood of experiencing each outcome, controlling for covariates. As a robustness check, we conducted sensitivity analyses with detention duration as a continuous measure. RESULTS The study included 200 respondents (mean [SD] age, 40.3 [10.1] years; 175 male [87.5%]; 149 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity [74.5%]). Results revealed a high prevalence of poor self-rated health, mental illness, and PTSD for all respondents, but especially among those who had been detained for 6 months or longer, who had significantly higher likelihood of poor or fair self-rated health (49.1% [95%CI, 40.5%-57.6%] vs 30.4%[95%CI, 21.8%-39.1%]; P < .001), mental illness (37.0%[95%CI, 28.2%-45.8%] vs 20.7%[95%CI, 12.6%-28.7%]; P < .001), and PTSD (59.3%[95% CI, 50.3%-68.3%] vs 34.8%[95%CI, 25.3%-44.3%]; P < .001). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the general robustness of these findings, with longer detention duration significantly associated with mental illness (OR, 1.11 [95%CI, 1.02-1.20]; P = .01) and PTSD (OR, 1.11 [95%CI, 1.03-1.20]; P = .005) in our adjusted models. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this cross-sectional study, detained immigrants experienced a high prevalence of poor health, mental illness, and PTSD, with detention periods of 6 months or more associated with higher rates compared with those detained less than 6 months. Duration of custody is one mechanism by which immigration detention might be a catalyst for worsening health.more » « less
-
Objectives. To evaluate associations between oil and gas development (OGD) and mental health using cross-sectional data from a preconception cohort study, Pregnancy Study Online. Methods. We analyzed baseline data from a prospective cohort of US and Canadian women aged 21 to 45 years who were attempting conception without fertility treatment (2013–2023). We developed residential proximity measures for active OGD during preconception, including distance from nearest site. At baseline, participants completed validated scales for perceived stress (10-item Perceived Stress Scale, PSS) and depressive symptoms (Major Depression Inventory, MDI) and reported psychotropic medication use. We used log-binomial regression and restricted cubic splines to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results. Among 5725 participants across 37 states and provinces, residence at 2 km versus 20 to 50 km of active OGD was associated with moderate to high perceived stress (PSS ≥ 20 vs < 20: PR = 1.08; 95% CI = 0.98, 1.18), moderate to severe depressive symptoms (MDI ≥ 20 vs < 20: PR = 1.27; 95% CI = 1.11, 1.45), and psychotropic medication use (PR = 1.11; 95% CI = 0.97, 1.28). Conclusions. Among North American pregnancy planners, closer proximity to OGD was associated with adverse preconception mental health symptomatology. ( Am J Public Health. 2024;114(9):923–934. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307730 )more » « less
-
Abstract Ethnic–racial discrimination, the differential treatment of individuals based on ethnic or racial group membership, predicts poor mental health outcomes such as anxiety. This is supported by long-standing theories on the social determinants of health and minority stress. However, these theories are rarely expanded to neurobiological sciences, limiting our understanding of mechanisms underlying observed associations. One potential neurobiological pathway between ethnic–racial discrimination exposure and anxiety is that ongoing exposure to racially charged encounters presents imminent threats that may modify stress-sensitive neurocircuitry, like the amygdala. The current study evaluated whether amygdala volume mediated associations between ethnic–racial discrimination exposure and anxiety symptoms in Latina girls, a group exhibiting heightened levels of untreated anxiety and disproportionately subjected to ethnic–racial discrimination. Thirty predominantly Mexican-identifying Latina girls residing in Southern California (MAge = 9.76,SD = 1.11 years) completed a T1-weighted structural MRI scan. Using thePerceptions of Racism in Children and Youth, participants self-reported the prevalence and severity of various discriminatory experiences. Participants also self-reported their anxiety symptoms via theScreen for Child Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders.Controlling for total intracranial volume and annual household income, an indirect effect of ethnic–racial discrimination on anxiety symptoms via left amygdala volume was observed,β = −0.28,SE = 0.17, BC 95% CI [−0.690, −0.017]. The current findings suggest that the left amygdala is sensitive to racialized threats in childhood and that stress-related alterations may, in part, contribute to elevated anxiety in Latina girls. Our data elucidate a potential mechanism by which this form of sociocultural stress can adversely impact mental health, particularly in the transition from middle childhood to early adolescence, a period marked by a host of interlinked neurophysiological and social changes.more » « less
-
This research full paper presents screening rates for mental health issues and life-stress events in engineering-focused community college students during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Specifically, it attempts to answer the following research questions: 1) What is the overall rate of various mental health conditions among engineering-focused community college students, 2) What effects has the pandemic had on baseline stress levels engineering-focused community college, and 3) What effects has the pandemic had on quality of life, such as sleep habits and financial security of engineering- focused community college students? Data for this paper was collected via survey from May–July 2020 and includes responses from 84 students at 24 community colleges. The survey itself was a compilation of several widely- used instruments for measuring overall mental health and stress levels in a population. These instruments include the Kessler-6 for psychological distress, the PHQ for anxiety, depression, and eating disorders, the PC-PTSD for PTSD-like symptoms, and the SRRS for inventorying stressful life events. Among the major findings, 32% of respondents reported a major change in financial situation, 27% reported loss of employment, and 13% reported ceasing formal schooling because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, 32% of respondents reported that the COVID-19 pandemic worsened their housing security situation, 38% reported that COVID-19 has worsened their food security situation, and 36% report that COVID-19 has decreased their ability to access instruction, course materials, or course supplies. Finally, of respondents who completed at least one mental health screening instrument, 70% screened positive for at least one potentially diagnosable condition, while only 9% reported ever receiving a mental health diagnosis. Index Terms—Community College, Mental Health, Disability, Accessibility, Equity, Inclusion, Wellnessmore » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-021-00301-z
