How Living in Urban Environments can Affect Mental Health
Urban living can expose its residents to many environmental factors, such as dense living conditions due to high-density residential and commercial buildings, higher levels of pollution, fewer areas of greenery, increased vulnerability to illicit substances, and stressful social conditions, that might have an effect on their mental health. More than 50% of the world’s population lives in cities, which is expected to grow to about two thirds of the global population. The experience of urban living, which affects this large proportion of the world’s population, may therefore be at increased risk for anxiety and depression.
An urban environment has to be characterized in a wider context as it consists of multiple concurrent and interacting factors. These make it possible to both study the symptoms of mental illness and to develop profiles and programs for urban planning in order to prevent the development of mental health issues. In addition, the experience of these environmental factors might have differing effects on each individual due to differences in genetics and brain activity. A recent study tried to figure out the intricacy of urban living by correlating physical aspects of urban life with symptoms of depression and anxiety.
An international consortium of researchers assessed a sample of 156,075 adults ranging from 41 to 77 years old living in urban areas in the United Kingdom for living conditions and psychiatric symptoms. The classifications for urban living areas were air and sound pollution, traffic, greenery, distance from the coast and water, building class, land use, distance from essential buildings, terrain, and street access.
The study found that, among those with five psychiatric symptoms—unenthusiasm, tiredness, loneliness, depressed mood, and frustration—there is a significant correlation between their symptoms and their urban living environmental profile. These symptoms are positively correlated with environmental factors such as air and sound pollution, traffic density, and density of urban infrastructures, while they are negatively correlated with distance to urban facilities for education, food-shopping, community-building, healthcare, and public gardens.
An urban environment has to be characterized in a wider context as it consists of multiple concurrent and interacting factors. These make it possible to both study the symptoms of mental illness and to develop profiles and programs for urban planning in order to prevent the development of mental health issues. In addition, the experience of these environmental factors might have differing effects on each individual due to differences in genetics and brain activity. A recent study tried to figure out the intricacy of urban living by correlating physical aspects of urban life with symptoms of depression and anxiety.
An international consortium of researchers assessed a sample of 156,075 adults ranging from 41 to 77 years old living in urban areas in the United Kingdom for living conditions and psychiatric symptoms. The classifications for urban living areas were air and sound pollution, traffic, greenery, distance from the coast and water, building class, land use, distance from essential buildings, terrain, and street access.
The study found that, among those with five psychiatric symptoms—unenthusiasm, tiredness, loneliness, depressed mood, and frustration—there is a significant correlation between their symptoms and their urban living environmental profile. These symptoms are positively correlated with environmental factors such as air and sound pollution, traffic density, and density of urban infrastructures, while they are negatively correlated with distance to urban facilities for education, food-shopping, community-building, healthcare, and public gardens.
Densely packed urban environments can be associated with higher rates of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
Image Source: ben o'bro
A group of participants dubbed the “anxiety symptom” group in the study reported symptoms such as feeling anxious, tense, worrisome, and nervous. This group was positively correlated with dense urban buildup, difficult terrain, proximity to the coast, and density of mixed urban infrastructure, while being negatively correlated with higher distances to waste and energy facilities and water proximity. Thus, this group showed that generous land use and proximity to nature may be features that are protective against symptoms of anxiety.
The last identified group of participants in the study was the “emotional instability” symptom group, which was characterized as feeling miserable, having mood swings, taking risks, being irritable, and undergoing stress and hurt feelings. These characteristics were elevated when there was a high density of buildings and facilities such as educational and medical facilities and the presence of high-rise or terraced buildings. In addition, associated feelings decreased in areas of open and unused land, distance to a food store, and density of water sources.
In conclusion, particular city environments can serve to affect one’s mental and physical health. Those environments associated with pollution, traffic, lack of greenery, and shorter distances to facilities can have higher rates of affective symptoms such as depression. Conversely, a profile associated with higher amounts of greenery and water sources such as lakes and rivers is associated with lower rates of anxiety symptoms. City life is often associated with tall buildings and limited greenery and water sources, which can negatively affect one’s mental health. Hopefully, these findings may be helpful for future city planners as they prioritize green spaces and increase distances between infrastructural facilities and living spaces.
The last identified group of participants in the study was the “emotional instability” symptom group, which was characterized as feeling miserable, having mood swings, taking risks, being irritable, and undergoing stress and hurt feelings. These characteristics were elevated when there was a high density of buildings and facilities such as educational and medical facilities and the presence of high-rise or terraced buildings. In addition, associated feelings decreased in areas of open and unused land, distance to a food store, and density of water sources.
In conclusion, particular city environments can serve to affect one’s mental and physical health. Those environments associated with pollution, traffic, lack of greenery, and shorter distances to facilities can have higher rates of affective symptoms such as depression. Conversely, a profile associated with higher amounts of greenery and water sources such as lakes and rivers is associated with lower rates of anxiety symptoms. City life is often associated with tall buildings and limited greenery and water sources, which can negatively affect one’s mental health. Hopefully, these findings may be helpful for future city planners as they prioritize green spaces and increase distances between infrastructural facilities and living spaces.
Featured Image Source: Danist Soh
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