Changing environments and their impact on mental health
The spaces that surround us can influence how we feel. These spaces change constantly as we move around – so what does this mean for our mental health and well-being? The NEEDS project, which received funding from the European Research Council (ERC), examined the link between dynamic environments and mental health in the Netherlands. Their findings highlight that certain kinds of environments can make all the difference. “When we talk about environments, we mean everything surrounding the person. That includes the built environment, the natural environment, but also the social environment,” says Marco Helbich, urban geographer at Utrecht University, the project host. Together with social geographers Hannah Roberts and Paulien Hagedoorn, he assessed how these different aspects influence depression severity and suicide risk. Unlike previous studies that considered such links from a residential point of view, the NEEDS project was able to capture a bigger picture by taking a mobility-focused approach. This involved assessing the association between daily mobility and depression severity, as well as between residential mobility and suicide.
The health benefits of close-knit communities
The researchers found that the social and socio-economic contexts to which people are exposed have stronger effects on both depression severity and suicide risk. “How isolated you are from other people for example, or how safe you feel in a neighbourhood, would make a bigger difference than passing a green space on your way to work,” Helbich explains. Relocating to an environment with a better socio-economic profile could bring the biggest health benefits: suicide risk was significantly lower for people experiencing improvements in social fragmentation and deprivation compared to those remaining in poor conditions. Regarding aspects of the physical environment such as noise and air pollution or access to green and blue spaces, NEEDS’ results paint a more nuanced picture. Being in nature, even for less than 1 hour, was associated with reduced depressive mood, regardless of whether these spaces could be accessed at home or during daily travels. How the natural environment is accessed is crucial, however: “The positive effect was only observed when we considered the immediate environment within 50 metres.” For suicide risk, on the other hand, the researchers were not able to establish protective effects of being exposed to green or blue spaces.
A smartphone app linking mental health and mobility
To collect the data underpinning the project’s results, the NEEDS team combined different methodologies. To study depressive symptoms, Helbich’s team developed a smartphone app monitoring participants’ movements and environments using GPS and a number of sensors. The latter provided information on the participants’ surroundings, for instance by measuring the number of connected Bluetooth devices in the vicinity. This data was combined with the results of a survey providing insights into the participants’ individual profiles and depressive symptoms. To study suicide risk, the team used register data revealing residence trajectories and associated suicide rates.
Boosting mental health with targeted urban policies
The results of the NEEDS project could provide valuable resources for policymakers in the Netherlands and beyond seeking to improve mental health: around 7 % of the EU population suffers from chronic depression. “Policymakers should explore opportunities for increasing a sense of social cohesion and safety within neighbourhoods,” Helbich says. “Policies that facilitate visiting green spaces should also be encouraged.”
Keywords
NEEDS, mental health, dynamic environments, depression, suicide
