Associations between Objective and Subjective Housing Status with Individual Mental Health in Guangzhou, China

Abstract

Housing is an important social determinant of mental health. However, few studies simultaneously measure the objective housing status (i.e., housing tenure, living space, housing conditions, and housing stability) and subjective housing status (i.e., housing satisfaction) as well as examine their effects on people’s mental health (i.e., stress, anxiety, and depression). Thus, using a sample size of 1003 participants by two-stage random sampling survey in Guangzhou, China, this study applies multivariate ordinary least square regression models to comprehensively explore and compare the associations between objective and subjective housing status with mental health, and then analyze the moderating effects of subjective housing status on the relationships between objective housing status and mental health. The findings suggest that there are significant differences in people’s mental health based on different housing status. The subjective housing status can better explain the variances in mental health than objective housing status. Also, subjective housing status may partly mitigate the adverse impacts of objective housing disadvantages on some aspects of an individual’s mental health. Therefore, housing improvement policies and public health initiatives should be designed based on a comprehensive account of objective and subjective housing characteristics as well as their influences on specific aspects of mental health.

Prevalence and Correlates of Likely Major Depressive Disorder among the Adult Population in Ghana during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The Chi-squared analysis suggests that respondents who lived with family or friends had a higher prevalence of likely MDD compared to respondents with other housing characteristics. This result is consistent with an earlier study that found a higher prevalence of mental health problems such as depression due to conflicts between family members and friends living together during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 71 ]. This may be due to misunderstandings over whether or how family members and friends should protect themselves against the virus and the differences in opinions related to the conflicting information about the COVID-19 pandemic [ 71 ].…”

“…This result is consistent with an earlier study that found a higher prevalence of mental health problems such as depression due to conflicts between family members and friends living together during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 71 ]. This may be due to misunderstandings over whether or how family members and friends should protect themselves against the virus and the differences in opinions related to the conflicting information about the COVID-19 pandemic [ 71 ]. In another study, adequacy of living space, housing stability and housing satisfaction were significantly associated with a high prevalence of depression [ 72 ].…”

Gender differences in association of urbanization with psychological stress in Chinese adults: A population-based study

“…Noteworthy, a house is a crucial family asset and is regarded as a potent status symbol in China ( 70 ). This study found that better housing conditions were inversely associated with psychological stress, consistent with previous studies, showing that inadequate housing conditions are associated with worsening mental health (i.e., stress, anxiety, and depression) ( 71 – 73 ). Although pathways have been proposed to elucidate this association, future studies are required to validate the role of the other specific urbanization elements in improving psychological outcomes.…”

Home-schooling during COVID-19 lockdown: Effects of coping style, home space, and everyday creativity on stress and home-schooling outcomes.

“…Inadequate, low quality, living space is associated with poorer mental health (Xie et al, 2021) and this relationship may be more pronounced at times of transition (Foye, 2017), such as the COVID-19 lockdown. Conversely, access to high-quality outdoor spaces, especially “green” spaces, has been associated with stress reduction (Ulrich et al, 1991), and increased well-being (White et al, 2019).…”