title: Traffic-related exposures, constrained restoration, and health in the residential context.
abstract: Traffic-related exposures may undermine the restorative character of the home, and this may in turn undermine health and residential satisfaction. We addressed this possibility with data for adults residing in a large valley near Innsbruck, Austria (N=572). We joined objective measures of traffic-related sound and air pollutants with reports from door-to-door surveys concerning perceived disturbance from traffic-related exposures, restorative qualities of the living environment, self-perceived health and residential satisfaction. We analyzed these data with successive tests of nested structural equation models, with and without the restorative quality variables. The results suggest that the negative impact of traffic-related exposures on self-perceived health and satisfaction with the living environment involves the constraint of restorative qualities of the living environment, over and above the share traditionally attributed to such exposures viewed as stressors. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of the distinction between environmental stressors and constraints on restoration.
authors.affiliation: Applied Social and Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: eike.von.lindern@access.uzh.ch.
authors.forename: Eike
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: von Lindern
authors.affiliation: Institute for Housing and Urban Research, Uppsala University, Box 514, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: terry.hartig@ibf.uu.se.
authors.forename: Terry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hartig
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Microbiology & Social Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria. Electronic address: peter.lercher@i-med.ac.at.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lercher
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001317:Austria; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
keywords: Air pollution; Disturbance; Restoration; Sound sources; Transportation