2023-05-26 13:41:37
Depression goes by neighborhoods. At this point, it is not surprising that depression is less frequent in the countryside. Stress, noise, air pollution, loneliness and lack of sunlight on the ground floor of a high floor are just a few examples of the problems faced by city dwellers. In fact, these factors may be behind the 39% increased risk of depression in urban areas of Western European countries and the US.
But it turns out that some urban areas are better than others. This is according to a new study published in «Science Advances» which shows that the inhabitants of neighborhoods located on the outskirts of cities are more likely to suffer from depression than those in the center.
The cause?
The research, conducted by researchers from the Yale University (USA), the universities of Stockholm and Gävle(Sweden) and the Aarhus University(Denmark), analyzed a large amount of material. Using machine learning tools, she examined satellite images of all the buildings in Denmark over 30 years (1987-2017). They were then classified into different categories based on height and density.
“We combined the resulting map with individual residential addresses and health and socioeconomic records from Denmark. This allowed us to take into account factors known to increase the risk of depression, such as socioeconomic status or parents having been diagnosed with mental illness,” the researchers explain. Karen Chen and Stephan Barthel in an article in The Conversation.
The results do not show a clear correlation that dense urban centers influence depression. This may be because dense urban centers may offer relatively more opportunities for social networking and interaction, which may benefit mental health, they write in the article.
The highest risk of depression was found in the suburbs, low-rise and single-family housing developments
It also does not appear that rural areas increase the risk of mental health problems. In contrast, after accounting for socioeconomic factors, the highest risk was found in suburban low-rise, single-family homes.
So which environmental factors were most important for psychological well-being? Finding out would help cities to be better designed to be sustainable and support mental health.
One hectare of land can house the same amount of population with dense skyscrapers or with few skyscrapers. Skyscrapers can be in dense, bustling business districts or in less dense urban areas, with luxury apartments facing a large green area.
Neighborhoods on the outskirts, on the other hand, tend to have a medium density of low-rise buildings. What approach to take?
According to the research, this means that the type of area with a high risk of mental health problems tends to have medium density and low-rise housing, such as suburban single-family home areas.
The researchers believe that the higher relative risk of depression in sprawling, low-rise suburbs may be due in part to long car commutes, fewer public open spaces, and insufficient population density to create many commercial places where people you can meet, such as shops, cafes and restaurants. But of course there can be many other factors as well.
This does not mean that living in the suburbs does not have its advantages. In fact, some people may prefer the privacy, silence and having your own garden.
“The study does not support the continued expansion of suburban single-family housing.” car dependent if planners want to mitigate mental health issues and climate change,” they write.
The research also highlights how sociable human beings are. After all, a certain level of density is necessary to create lively communities that can support shops, businesses, and public transportation, while allowing for restoration with the benefit of open space.
However, the researchers acknowledge that the conclusions of the study in Denmark may not be directly applicable to all other countries. «The socio-environmental factors of mental well-being depend on cultural and geographical contexts. However, the framework developed in this study provides a foundation for future research,” they conclude.
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