Longitudinal association between neighborhood cohesion and depressive mood in old age: A Japanese prospective study

Associations between neighbourhood social cohesion and subjective well-being in two different informal settlement types in Delhi, India: a quantitative cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the relationships between neighbourhood cohesion and subjective well-being (SWB) in two different informal settlement types.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional analysis of a community-based survey.

SETTING

Communities in two districts, Sanjay Colony, Okhla Phase II and Bhalswa in Delhi, India.

PARTICIPANTS

328 residents in Bhalswa and 311 from Sanjay Colony.

MEASUREMENTS

Neighbourhood social cohesion scale measured on an 18-point scale and the SWB scale made up of four subjective measures-hedonic, eudaemonic, evaluative and freedom of choice. Sociodemographic characteristics and trust were used as covariates.

RESULTS

In both neighbourhood types there was a statistically significant positive bivariate correlation between neighbourhood cohesion and SWB (Sanjay: r=0.145, p<0.05; Bhalswa: r=0.264, p<0.01). Trust and neighbourhood cohesion were strongly correlated (Sanjay: r=0.618, p<0.01; Bhalswa: r=0.533, p<0.01) and the longer the resident had lived in the community the greater the feeling of neighbourhood cohesion (Sanjay: r=0.157, p<0.01; Bhalswa: r=0.171, p<0.05). Only in the resettlement colony (Bhalswa) was SWB negatively correlated with length of residency (r=-0.117, p<0.05). Residents who chose their settlement type (Sanjay residents) were 22.5 percentage points (pp) more likely to have a feeling of belonging to their neighbourhood than residents that had been resettled (Bhalswa) (Cohen's d effect size 0.45). Sanjay residents had a greater likelihood to feel more satisfied with life (4.8 pp, p<0.01) and having greater perceived freedom of choice (4.8 pp, p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings contribute to the general knowledge about neighbourhood cohesion and SWB within different informal settlement types in a mega-city such as New Delhi, India. Interventions that promote sense of belonging, satisfaction with life and freedom of choice have the potential to significantly improve people's well-being.

Longitudinal associations between the neighborhood social, natural, and built environment and mental health: A systematic review with meta-analyses

This review aimed to assess the longitudinal associations between neighborhood social, natural, and built environments, and multiple mental health outcomes (i.e., depression, anxiety, common mental disorder, and pooled mental disorders). Of 6,785 records retrieved, 30 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Meta-analytical results primarily obtained from developed country studies showed that composite neighborhood socioeconomic status was negatively associated with depression (p = 0.007) and pooled mental disorders (p = 0.002), while neighborhood urbanicity was positively associated with depression (p = 0.012) and pooled mental disorders (p = 0.005). Future longitudinal studies with similar designs and standardized exposure assessments are warranted.

Neighborhood collective efficacy in stressful events: The stress-buffering effect

Although research on neighborhood effects has shown positive outcomes of collective efficacy in mental health, few studies have examined whether its protective role is universally applicable to all residents or the vulnerable population. Building on a stress-buffering model, this study examines whether or not neighborhood collective efficacy serves as a stress buffer to ameliorate the deleterious effects of exposure to stressful events across different population groups. Analyses are conducted based on a city-wide representative sample in Hong Kong linked to suicide events through spatial and temporal information. Neighborhood-level collective efficacy is constructed by the aggregated mean score of individual perceived collective efficacy within the same residential neighborhoods. Results from the logistic regression models show that individuals exposed to suicide in the residential surroundings have a higher risk of mental distress symptoms. Moreover, neighborhood-level collective efficacy tends to alleviate the mental distress upon exposure, but such a stress-buffering effect is only observed in older adults. Our findings provide a new perspective informed by the variation of stress-buffering effect across population groups. Thus, this study contributes to the understandings of neighborhood collective by demonstrating the stress-buffering effects among the vulnerable population.

Predicting depression among the elderly by stressful life events and coping strategies

Background and Aim:

Aging is a stage during which stressful events occur frequently. The method of coping with this stress can play an important role in an elderly's mental health. The present study aimed at investigating the role of coping strategies in stressful life events associated with depression.

Method:

The present study was a correlational one conducted by structural equation analysis. As many as 841 elderly people were selected from the general population by adopting a cluster sampling method. Beck's Depression Inventory as well as strategies of coping with stress and stressful events were applied.

Results:

The model test, analyzed by AMOS by using path analysis, indicated that age is positively associated with stressful life events and depression. The “stressful life events” variable is directly and indirectly associated with depression. The emotion-focused coping strategies were positively associated with depression, and problem-focused coping strategies were negatively associated with depression.

Conclusion:

As an individual grows older and experiences stressful life events, his/her depression increases. Elderly people with problem-focused coping strategies are likely to experience less depression.

Physical activity-mediated associations between perceived neighborhood social environment and depressive symptoms among Jackson Heart Study participants

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the associations between perceived neighborhood social environment (PNSE) and depressive symptoms among African Americans. Furthermore, the role of physical activity (PA) as a mediator of this association has not been investigated. The two-fold objectives of this study, therefore, were (1) to examine the associations between PNSE and depressive symptoms among African Americans, and (2) to test the degree to which these associations were mediated by total PA.

METHODS

We used baseline data from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), a single-site, prospective, community-based study of African-American adults (n = 2209) recruited from Jackson, Mississippi. PNSE variables included scores for neighborhood violence (i.e., higher score = more violence), problems (higher score = more problems), and social cohesion (higher score = more cohesion). Depressive symptoms were measured by the 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) score. First, multilevel modeling, controlling for census tract clustering effects, was used to estimate associations between each PNSE variable and CES-D score, adjusting for covariates, including demographic, health-related, and population density. Second, validated, self-reported total PA, based on active living, sport, and home indices, was tested as the mediator. Multivariable linear regressions with bootstrap-generated 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals (BC CIs) were estimated to test for significant unstandardized indirect effects, controlling for all covariates.

RESULTS

Our participants were 64.2% female with a mean age of 52.6 (SD = 12.2) and a mean CES-D score of 10.8 (SD = 8.1). In the fully-adjusted model, neighborhood violence and problems were positively related to depressive symptoms (B = 3.59, 95%CI = 0.93, 6.26, and B = 3.06, 95%CI = 1.19, 4.93, respectively). Neighborhood violence and problems were also indirectly related to depressive symptoms via total PA (B = 0.26, 95%BC CI = 0.05, 0.55; and B = 0.15, 95%BC CI = 0.02, 0.34, respectively). Social cohesion was neither directly nor indirectly related to depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that higher levels of perceived neighborhood problems and violence were directly and positively associated with depressive symptoms. These associations may be explained in part by lower total PA levels. Future interventions to reduce depressive symptoms attributed to neighborhood features should consider emphasizing built environment features that facilitate PA increases in conjunction with community efforts to reduce neighborhood violence and problems.

Is neighbourhood social cohesion associated with subjective well-being for older Chinese people? The neighbourhood social cohesion study

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Hong Kong version of Neighbourhood Cohesion Instrument (HK-NCI) and examine whether neighbourhood social cohesion as measured using HK-NCI would be associated with evaluative, hedonic and eudaemonic well-being.

DESIGN

A validation analysis followed by a cross-sectional analysis of a community-based survey.

SETTING

Communities in two districts (Sha Tin and Tai Po) in Hong Kong.

PARTICIPANTS

301 community-dwelling Chinese men and women aged 60 years and older normally residing in Sha Tin or Tai Po for not less than six consecutive months at the time of participation in the study were interviewed.

MEASUREMENTS

Neighbourhood social cohesion was measured using the 15-item HK-NCI. The Social Cohesion Scale (SCS) and the Brief Sense of Community Scale (BSCS) were administered for assessing the validity of the HK-NCI. Evaluative (life satisfaction), hedonic (feelings of happiness) and eudaemonic well-being (sense of purpose and meaning in life) were examined. Socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle and health behaviours, medical history, and neighbourhood characteristics were used as covariates.

RESULTS

For homogeneity, internal consistency of HK-NCI (α=0.813) was good. For stability (test-retest reliability), the averages of mean scores of the 15 items suggested an acceptable repeatability with an intra-class correlation coefficient=0.701(95% CI 0.497 to 0.832). HK-NCI was correlated with SCS (r=0.515-0.635, p<0.001) and BSCS (r=0.500-0.612, p<0.001). Neighbourhood social cohesion was positively and independently associated with life satisfaction, feelings of happiness and sense of purpose and meaning in life (all p values <0.05). Stratified analyses indicated that neighbourhood social cohesion was more strongly associated with all dimensions of subjective well-being in 'young-old' subgroup, and with sense of purpose and meaning in life for women.

CONCLUSION

The HK-NCI has adequate levels of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. In addition, higher levels of neighbourhood social cohesion were associated with better subjective well-being among older Chinese people.

The prospective relationship between social cohesion and depressive symptoms among older adults from Central and Eastern Europe

Background

Social cohesion has a potential protective effect against depression, but evidence for Central and Eastern Europe is lacking. We investigated the prospective association between social cohesion and elevated depressive symptoms in the Czech Republic, Russia and Poland, and assessed whether alcohol drinking and smoking mediated this association.

Methods

Cohort data from 15 438 older urban participants from the Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors In Eastern Europe project were analysed. Baseline social cohesion was measured by five questions, and depressive symptoms were measured 3 years later by the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Depression (CES-D) Scale. Nested logistic regression models estimated ORs of elevated depressive symptoms (CES-D 10 score ≥4) by z-scores and tertiles of social cohesion.

Results

Per 1 SD decrease in social cohesion score, adjusted ORs of elevated depressive symptoms were 1.13 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.23) and 1.05 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.13) in men and women, respectively. Further adjustment for smoking and drinking did not attenuate these associations in either men (OR=1.13, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.22) or women (OR=1.05, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.13). Similarly, the fully adjusted ORs comparing the lowest versus highest social cohesion tertile were 1.33 (95% CI 1.10 to 1.62) in men and 1.18 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.39) in women.

Conclusions

Lower levels of social cohesion was associated with heightened depressive symptoms after a 3-year follow-up among older Czech, Russian and Polish adults. These effects appeared stronger in men, and alcohol and smoking played no appreciable role in this association.

Relationships between the neighborhood environment and depression in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACTBackground:While depression is a growing public health issue, the percentage of individuals with depression receiving treatment is low. Physical and social attributes of the neighborhood may influence the level of depressive symptoms and the prevalence of depression in older adults.

METHODS

This review systematically examined the literature on neighborhood environmental correlates of depression in older adults. Findings were analyzed according to three depression outcomes: depressive symptoms, possible depression, and clinical depression. Based on their description in the article, environmental variables were assigned to one of 25 categories. The strength of evidence was statistically quantified using a meta-analytical approach with articles weighted for sample size and study quality. Findings were summarized by the number of positive, negative, and statistically non-significant associations by each combination of environmental attribute - depression outcome and by combining all depression outcomes.

RESULTS

Seventy-three articles met the selection criteria. For all depression outcomes combined, 12 of the 25 environmental attribute categories were considered to be sufficiently studied. Three of these, neighborhood socio-economic status, collective efficacy, and personal/crime-related safety were negatively associated with all depression outcomes combined. Moderating effects on associations were sparsely investigated, with 52 articles not examining any. Attributes of the physical neighborhood environment have been understudied.

CONCLUSION

This review provides support for the potential influence of some neighborhood attributes on population levels of depression. However, further research is needed to adequately examine physical attributes associated with depression and moderators of both social and physical neighborhood environment attribute - depression outcome associations.

Association Between Neighborhood Cohesion and Self-Neglect in Chinese-American Older Adults

OBJECTIVES

To examine the association between neighborhood cohesion and risk of self-neglect in a community-dwelling Chinese-American older population.

SETTING

Community.

PARTICIPANTS

Chinese-American older adults aged 60 and older interviewed from 2011 to 2013 (N = 3,159).

DESIGN

Data were drawn from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly, a cross-sectional community-engaged study in the greater Chicago area.

MEASUREMENTS

Self-neglect was assessed with systematic observations of a participant's personal and home environment. Neighborhood cohesion was measured using six questions.

RESULTS

After controlling for potential confounders, greater neighborhood cohesion was significantly associated with lower risk of overall self-neglect (odds ratio (OR) = 0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.77-0.98) and moderate to severe self-neglect (OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.58-0.85) but not significantly associated with mild self-neglect (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.82-1.09). Regarding the phenotypes of self-neglect, greater neighborhood cohesion was significantly associated with lower risk of poor personal hygiene (OR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.67-0.96) and need for home repair (OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.60-0.83) but not significantly for hoarding (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.89-1.21), unsanitary conditions (OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.76-1.02), and inadequate utilities (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.77-1.31).

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the association between greater neighborhood cohesion and lower risk of overall self-neglect in Chinese-American older adults. Enhancing neighborhood cohesion may enhance elder self-neglect prevention and intervention.