• WongCorine Sau ManCSM0000-0003-3363-1004School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. wongcsm@hku.hk., Wai Chi Chan, Natalie Wing Tung Chu, Wing Yan Law, Harriet Wing Yu Tang, Ting Yat Wong, ChenEric Yu HaiEYHDepartment of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.Department of Psy, and Linda Chiu Wa Lam.
• School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. wongcsm@hku.hk.
• J Urban Health. 2024 Aug 1; 101 (4): 804814804-814.

AbstractExisting literature has widely explored the individual roles of housing and neighborhood quality, and there is limited research examining their interactive effects on mental health. This 3-year cohort study utilized a longitudinal design to investigate the individual and interactive effects of housing and neighborhood quality on mental health among 962 community-dwelling adults in Hong Kong. Participants were asked to rate their residential qualities over the 3-year period. Mental health outcomes, including levels of psychological distress and common mental disorders (CMD), were assessed using the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). Logistic regression and generalized linear models were used to examine the association between housing and neighborhood quality and CMD/psychological distress, adjusting for sociodemographic and residential characteristics and baseline mental disorders. Housing quality was associated with the 3-year CMD (adjusted OR 0.95; 95% CI 0.91 to 0.98). Likewise, neighborhood quality was associated with CMD over 3 years (adjusted OR 0.92; 95% CI 0.87 to 0.96). In a separate model including both quality measures, the effect of housing quality on CMD was attenuated, whereas the neighborhood impact remained significant (adjusted OR 0.92; 95% CI 0.87 to 0.98). Generalized linear models indicated that for participants residing in substandard housing, those with high neighborhood quality had lower CIS-R scores at follow-up compared to those with low neighborhood quality (p = 0.041). Better neighborhood quality alleviated the detrimental effects of poor housing quality on mental health. Planning for an enhanced neighborhood would improve population mental health in an urban environment.© 2024. The Author(s).

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