Negative life events vary by neighborhood and mediate the relation between neighborhood context and psychological well-being.
Researchers have speculated that negative life events are more common in troubled neighborhoods, amplifying adverse effects on health. Using a clustered representative sample of Chicago residents (2001-03; n = 3,105) from the Chicago Community Adult Health Survey, we provide the first documentation that negative life events are highly geographically clustered compared to health outcomes. Associations between neighborhood context and negative life events were also found to vary by event type. We then demonstrate the power of a contextualized approach by testing path models in which life events mediate the relation between neighborhood characteristics and health outcomes, including self-rated health, anxiety, and depression. The indirect paths between neighborhood conditions and health through negative life event exposure are highly significant and large compared to the direct paths from neighborhood conditions to health. Our results indicate that neighborhood conditions can have acute as well as chronic effects on health, and that negative life events are a powerful mechanism by which context may influence health.
Environmental Public Health Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America; Community and Family Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America.
Katherine
K
King
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America.
Christin
C
Ogle
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002641:Chicago; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003625:Data Collection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057566:Self Report; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult