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Urbanicity, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning, and behavioral and emotional problems in children: a
B E Evans1,2, J van der Ende3, K Greaves-Lord3
1Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Montessorilaan 3, 6525, HR, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. brittany.evans@kau.se.
BMC Psychology
|February 6, 2020
Summary
This study found no direct or indirect links between urbanicity and children's mental health via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Further research is needed to explore potential adolescent-onset effects or socioeconomic buffering.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Neuroendocrinology
Background:
- Global urbanization trends necessitate understanding their impact on child development.
- Previous research suggests a correlation between urban living and increased mental health issues in children.
- Mechanisms linking urbanicity to child mental health remain largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the direct association between urbanicity and children's mental health.
- To examine the indirect role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning in mediating the urbanicity-mental health relationship.
- To analyze both current and early childhood urbanicity exposures.
Main Methods:
- Utilized two independent child samples (current urbanicity n=306, ages 7-12; early childhood urbanicity n=141, birth-7 years).
- Assessed child mental health and family socioeconomic status via maternal reports.
- Measured HPA axis functioning through salivary cortisol during stress and basal conditions.
- Employed path modeling with bootstrapping to detect indirect effects.
Main Results:
- No direct effect of urbanicity on children's mental health was observed.
- No indirect effects of urbanicity on mental health via HPA axis functioning were found.
- Urbanicity did not significantly impact HPA axis functioning, nor did HPA axis functioning affect mental health.
Conclusions:
- The impact of urbanicity on HPA axis functioning and mental health may emerge in adolescence.
- High family socioeconomic status might buffer potential negative effects of urbanicity.
- Further longitudinal studies are required to definitively conclude on the absence of an urbanicity-HPA axis-mental health link in children.
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