Mental Health, Deprivation, and the Neighborhood Social Environment: A Network Analysis



McElroy, Eoin, Mcintyre, Jason ORCID: 0000-0002-5601-524X, Bentall, Richard, Wilson, Tim, Holt, Keith, Kullu, Cecil, Nathan, Rajan, Kerr, Andrew, Panagaki, Katherina, McKeown, Michael
et al (show 3 more authors) (2019) Mental Health, Deprivation, and the Neighborhood Social Environment: A Network Analysis. Clinical Psychological Science, 7 (4). pp. 719-734.

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Abstract

Different aspects of the neighborhood social environment have been linked with mental ill health; however, the mechanisms underlying these associations remain poorly understood because of the number and complexity of the components involved. We used a novel statistical approach, network analysis, to explore the complex associations between neighborhood social cohesion, social disorder, and mental-health symptoms in a sample of 3,670 adults from an economically deprived region of the United Kingdom (mean age = 49.34 years, SD = 18.87; 57% female). Elasso regularized networks were estimated, and network comparisons were conducted by level of deprivation. Mental-health symptoms and neighborhood components formed relatively distinct clusters of items. These domains were linked primarily by paranoia, although only in the most deprived group. Drunken/rowdy behavior was particularly influential within the neighborhood cluster; therefore, policies aimed at reducing such disruptive behavior could have positive knock-on effects for social cohesion and mental health.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: deprivation, mental health, neighborhood environment, network analysis, social capital, antisocial behavior
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 26 Nov 2018 15:59
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 01:11
DOI: 10.1177/2167702619830640
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3029068