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Psychosocial Risks and Adolescent Mental Health: The Moderating Role of Objective Neighborhood Characteristics
Jungwon Min1, Vicky Tam1, Joel A Fein2
1Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Summary
Objective neighborhood characteristics significantly impact adolescent mental health. Youth in high-stress areas face greater psychosocial risks, increasing odds of depression and suicide risk, especially with more risk factors.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent Health
- Environmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Previous research focused on perceived neighborhood effects on adolescent mental health.
- The impact of objective neighborhood characteristics on adolescent psychosocial risks and mental health remains less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how objective neighborhood characteristics moderate the association between youth psychosocial risks and mental health symptoms.
- To examine the interplay between neighborhood stress, psychosocial factors, and adolescent mental health outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 9,814 adolescents (14-18 years) from emergency department visits (2013-2020).
- Psychosocial risks and mental health symptoms assessed via self-report surveys.
- Neighborhoods classified as low-, moderate-, or high-stress using gun violence data and the Child Opportunity Index; moderation effects analyzed using mixed-effects logistic regression and Poisson models.
Main Results:
- Psychosocial risks (trauma, bullying, substance use, fighting) were linked to 2-8 times higher odds of depressive symptoms and suicide risk.
- Adolescents in high-stress neighborhoods reported more psychosocial risk factors and were twice as likely to report fighting and retaliation.
- The association between psychosocial risk factors and mental health symptoms was stronger in youth from low-stress neighborhoods.
Conclusions:
- Objective neighborhood characteristics significantly interact with psychosocial risks to influence adolescent depression and suicide risk.
- Findings highlight the critical role of neighborhood environment in adolescent mental health disparities.
- Interventions should consider neighborhood context when addressing youth mental health challenges.
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