Housing conditions and mental health in a disadvantaged area in Scotland.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the mental health impact of different aspects of poor housing.


METHODS
This was a post hoc analysis of data from a household interview survey.


METHODS
A public sector housing estate on the outskirts of Glasgow.


METHODS
These comprised 114 men and 333 women aged between 17 and 65 from 451 households.


METHODS
Dependent variable: scoring > or = 5 on the 30 item general health questionnaire (GHQ30).


METHODS
self reported data on household composition, whether ill health was a factor in the move to the current dwelling, length of time at address, household income, whether the respondent was employed, chronic illness, and 6 problems with the dwelling.


RESULTS
Reporting a problem with dampness was significantly and independently associated with scores of > or = 5 on the GHQ30 after controlling for possible confounding variables.


CONCLUSIONS
Initiatives to tackle housing dampness may be important in developing a strategy to improve mental health for the study area. More research on the mental health impact of different aspects of poor housing is required.
Hopton
J L
JL
Department of General Practice, University of Edinburgh.
Hunt
S M
SM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006798:Housing / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*