Neighborhood atmosphere modifies the eudaimonic impact of cohesion and friendship among older adults: A multilevel...

A growing body of research on community gerontology suggests that interventions in the neighborhood may promote older adults' wellbeing. Drawing on Costello's community (2014) and phenomenology of atmosphere, we examine contextual moderators of the relationship between neighborhood quality and older adults' mental wellbeing in high-density urban areas. We used mixed methods. Quantitative data were collected from 601 community-dwelling adults over age fifty, using a comprehensive measure of neighborhood perception, which includes neighborhood cohesion, friendship and the physical environment. Positive aspects of participants' mental health were also measured. Regression analysis was conducted. Based on quantitative data, four types of neighborhoods were identified. Interviews and focus groups were conducted to understand their differences using comparative thematic analysis. Better neighborhood experience improves older adults' mental health. This association persists after controlling for a range of covariates including depressive symptoms. At the neighborhood level, neighborhoods of higher quality have significantly better aggregated mental health scores after controlling for depressive symptoms. Three themes were identified from qualitative data, namely sense of self, sense of community, and neighborhood atmosphere. Poor neighborhood atmosphere limited the extent to which the neighborhood improves the mental health of older adults. In neighborhoods where positive neighborly interactions prevailed over individual adversities, older adults exhibited better mental health. Neighborhood atmosphere is an important contextual factor which structures how older adults may benefit from spending time in the neighborhood. Enhancing a sense of community in the neighborhood could improve older adults' mental health. Age-friendly interventions in urban contexts should examine neighborhood atmosphere.