Environmental perceptions, self-regulation, and coping with noise mediate the associations between children’s physical environment and sleep and mental health problems

Children forced to engage in coping activities when disturbed by noise during homework show poorer mental health. Good family relations, good neighborhood quality, and close-by greenspace may be factors to alleviate built environment stressors. The negative association of required coping with noise during homework suggests that children, in contrast to adults, may be limited in their coping abilities. Our findings call for further inquiries, as children and their environments may vary with respect to coping efficiency.