Abstract
Objective
Although in many studies authors have documented the relationship between neighborhood
socioeconomic status and child mental health, few have examined the association between
neighborhood conditions and mental health disorders. The objective of this study was
to determine whether parent-reported neighborhood conditions are associated with common
child mental health disorders.
Methods
We analyzed data on children ages 6 to 17 (N = 64,076) collected through the 2007
National Survey of Children's Health. Primary outcome variables were a child being
reported to have a diagnosis of (1) anxiety and/or depression and (2) attention-deficit−hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) and/or disruptive behavior. Main independent variables were parent-reported
neighborhood amenities (eg, recreation center), poor physical characteristics (eg,
dilapidated housing), social support/trust, neighborhood safety, and school safety.
Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between
neighborhood conditions and (1) anxiety/depression and (2) ADHD/disruptive behavior.
Results
Children living in a neighborhood with 3 poor physical characteristics had greater
odds of anxiety/depression (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.58, 95% confidence interval
[95% CI] 1.01–2.46) and ADHD/disruptive behavior (AOR 1.44, 95% CI 1.04–1.99) compared
with children living in a neighborhood with no poor physical characteristics. Children
of parents who reported living in a neighborhood with low social support/trust had
greater odds of depression/anxiety (AOR 1.71, 95% CI 1.28–2.30) and ADHD/disruptive
behavior (AOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.19–1.81) than children living in a neighborhood with
greater social support/trust.
Conclusions
Parent perception of neighborhood social support/trust and physical characteristics
may be important to assess in clinical settings and should be examined in future study
of child mental health burden.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: September 25, 2012
Accepted:
June 17,
2012
Received:
January 23,
2012
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
