The Relationship Between the Neighbourhood Environment and Mental Health: Integrating Subjective and Objective Perspectives

AIMS: To explore the relationship between neighbourhood environments and mental health by integrating subjective and objective perspectives. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: From September 2023 to January 2024, adult residents at the physical examination centers of two public hospitals in China completed measurements of subjective neighbourhood environment, depressive and anxiety symptoms, psychological stress, and socio-demographic characteristics. Geographic information systems (GIS) were employed to extract objective environmental data including parks, bus stops, sports facilities, leisure facilities, residential housing, restaurants, food retail facilities, and street connectivity within a buffer zone of 500-m radius of the participants' residential areas. Data were analysed using univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: This study included 438 participants (mean age, 36.98 ± 11.05 years; 55.3% female). The mean scores for depression, anxiety, and psychological stress were 3.55 ± 2.99, 3.16 ± 2.91, and 13.11 ± 4.88, respectively. The total score of the subjective neighbourhood environment was 78.33 ± 10.63, with the mean scores of each dimension ranging from 5.14 to 23.76. After adjusting for potential confounders, higher scores on street environment and higher density of sports facility were statistically significantly associated with reduced risk of depressive symptoms and psychological stress. Additionally, higher scores on walking environment and social cohesion were significantly associated with reduced risk of anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that street environments, walking environments, social cohesion, and density of sports facilities were independently associated with the mental health of adult residents in China. IMPLICATIONS: The findings provide valuable insights for healthcare providers to consider specific health-related environmental factors and develop tailored interventions to promote the mental health of the residents. IMPACT: Understanding the relationship between the subjective and objective environmental factors on mental health is crucial for developing effective intervention strategies, preventing psychological issues, enhancing the quality of care, and advancing public health policies and research. REPORTING METHOD: The study was reported following the strengthening of the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.