Neighborhood experience and mental health

The purpose of this study was to evaluate individual mental health in the context of their social environment. Specifically, variables across different levels, including a person's attributes, neighborhood experience, and community characteristics, were examined to explore their relationship with that person's mental health.

Communities in southern Taiwan, including 1 district from Kaohsiung City and 4 townships (hsiang) from Kaohsiung County, were purposively selected to represent 3 different types (urban, suburban, and rural) of communities, after which, by random sampling, 416 subjects were recruited for the interview survey in 1998. A questionnaire containing a measure for mental health (CHQ) and perceptions of neighborhood experience was administered for data collection. At the same time, data derived from governmental archives were collected to indicate the characteristics of a community, and these included population density, community socioeconomic condition, and community stability.

Multivariate analysis showed that personal income, community socioeconomic condition, and perceived social support from the neighborhood were statistically significant when associated with a person's mental health status. It seems that influence of an individual's mental health status was affected not only by that person's attributes, but also by the neighborhood within which he/she experiences daily life.

With respect to the strategy for implementing future mental health promotion programs, a further clarification of the relationship between social conditions and mental health is needed.