Neighborhood Social Resources and Depressive Symptoms: Longitudinal Results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
The ways in which a neighborhood environment may affect depression and depressive symptoms have not been thoroughly explored. This study used longitudinal data from 5475 adults in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis to investigate associations of time-varying depressive symptoms between 2000 and 2012 (measured using the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)) with survey-based measures of neighborhood safety and social cohesion (both individual-level perceptions and neighborhood-level aggregates) and densities of social engagement destinations. Linear mixed models were used to examine associations of baseline cross-sectional associations and cumulative exposures with changes over time in CES-D. Econometric fixed effects models were utilized to investigate associations of within-person changes in neighborhood exposures with within-person changes in CES-D. Adjusting for relevant covariates, higher safety and social cohesion and greater density of social engagement destinations were associated with lower CES-D at baseline. Greater cumulative exposure to these features was not associated with progression of CES-D over 10 years. Within-person increases in safety and in social cohesion were associated with decreases in CES-D, although associations with cohesion were not statistically significant. Social elements of neighborhoods should be considered by community planners and public health practitioners to achieve optimal mental health.
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA. kam642@drexel.edu.
Kari A
KA
Moore
Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Jana A
JA
Hirsch
Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Carmella
C
August
Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Christina
C
Mair
Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Brisa N
BN
Sanchez
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Ana V
AV
Diez Roux
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D050197:Atherosclerosis; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Built environment; Depressive symptoms; Mental health; Neighborhoods; Social environment