Association of living density with anxiety and stress: A cross‐sectional population study in Hong Kong

Abstract

This study aims to enrich the comprehension of the effect of living density on anxiety and stress among adults in a global city. A random sample of 1,978 Hong Kong adults was interviewed in a cross‐sectional population study in 2014–2015. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were used to investigate the association between housing variables and mental health indicators, namely, anxiety and stress. Logistic regression analysis results have shown that by controlling the confounding effect of demographic variables, income poverty, housing ownership and housing cost, the living density was significantly associated with anxiety and stress of residents. Compared with those living in high density of <7 m2, living in medium density of ≥7 and <13 m2 was significantly associated with lower risk of anxiety (adjusted OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.30–0.88), and the risk was less for those living in low density of ≥13 m2 (adjusted OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.23–0.72). Meanwhile, living in low density of ≥13 m2 was significantly associated with a lower risk of stress (adjusted OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.20–0.97). These results highlighted the significant impact of living density on personal anxiety and stress. Moreover, female, younger adults or those living in income poverty were also at risk of anxiety and stress. In conclusion, our findings implied that improving housing policies, such as building public housing with adequate living areas and market regulation of living density of private housing, would help enhance the mental well‐being of residents.

Characteristics and health risks of personal exposure to particle‐bound PAHs for Hong Kong adult residents: From ambient pollution to indoor exposure

“…Other influencing factors of exposure to PAHs, for example, residential floor level, building types, and road proximity, warrant further investigation. Many of the health costs of high‐density urban living, such as the carcinogenic indoor air studied in this paper and density‐related stress and mental health problems, 64 , 65 are not immediately detected or understood by residents. Secondly, investigating cancer risks of PAH inhalation exposures presents some challenges, and the uncertainties are inherent in cancer risk assessments.…”

Household crowding can have political effects: An empirical study on support for anti-democratic political systems during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy

“…The studies examining the effects of living density performed on rats and mice in cages (e.g., Paulus, 2012 ) and those performed on human participants, both among prisoners (e.g., Schaeffer et al, 1988 ) and among people living in wider society (e.g., Chan et al, 2020 ), converge and show relevant deleterious effects of living density on psychological well-being and physical health. However, a discussion of whether living in an overcrowded household could also entail socio-political consequences is missing.…”

“…A few investigations examining the effects of living density are useful to answer this question. The great majority of studies have focused on psychological effects, reporting a positive relationship between overcrowding and psychological distress, anxiety, and even mental illness ( Evans et al, 2001 , 2002 , 2003 ; Cable & Sacker, 2019 ; Chan et al, 2020 ; Gillis et al, 1986 ; Gover & Hughes, 1983 ). Household crowding effects even prevail over those of community density, in that an optimal household density counteracts the deleterious impact of community density in terms of psychological distress and residential satisfaction ( Gomez-Jacinto & Hombrados-Mendieta, 2002 ).…”

The Impact of Bedbug (Cimex spp.) Bites on Self-Rated Health and Average Hours of Sleep per Day: A Cross-Sectional Study among Hong Kong Bedbug Victims

“…Longterm solutions include addressing housing issues; this may be considered as a 'best buy' for addressing bedbug infestations as it can reverberate improvements to other aspects of health and wellbeing including mental health, access to education, employment, etc. ; in the context of Hong Kong, this would revolve around alleviating the vulnerabilities of living in subdivided units and providing adequate living space through improved public housing and related policies [21,48,49].…”