Abstract P253: Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Psychosocial Health Among Asian Americans Adults in New York City

Abstract

Introduction: Social determinants of health, including one’s neighborhood environment, are a fundamental cause of health inequities. Low neighborhood socioeconomic status (NSES) is associated with adverse psychosocial and physical health profiles, yet limited data exists among Asian Americans. Our study aim was to determine the association between NSES with depressive symptoms and psychological distress among Asian American adults in New York City (NYC). Methods: The NYC Community Health Survey (CHS) is a population based annual telephone survey used to track the health of NYC residents. It is conducted in five languages including Mandarin and Cantonese. Data are weighted to be representative of NYC as a whole. Our sample included data from 4,557 Asian American participants of the 2017-2020 CHS cycles who were geolinked to their respective neighborhoods, conceptualized as the community district (CD). From publically available CD profiles, we constructed a NSES factor score from four indicators: proportion of the CD unemployed, in poverty, with a high rent burden, and with less than a high school education. Psychosocial health was measured using the Kessler-6 (K6) for nonspecific psychological distress and the 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ8) for depressive symptoms, with higher scores indicating worse psychosocial health. We used hierarchical linear models to determine the association between NSES tertile with outcomes stratified by Asian sub-group or region (Chinese, Indian subcontinent, or other Asian). Models were adjusted for individual level age, sex, income, and education. All analyses accounted for the complex survey design of the CHS. Results: Among NYC Asian American residents, 52.1% were women, 45% were age 25-44 years, 25% had less than a high school education, and 56% lived below 200% of the federal poverty level. Among Chinese residents of NYC, living in a neighborhood of low compared with high NSES, was associated with lower PH8 score (beta: -0.65, 95% CI: -1.10, -0.19). Among residents of NYC with heritage from the Indian subcontinent, living in a neighborhood of low compared with high NSES, was associated with a higher K6 score (beta: 1.27, 95% CI: 0.59, 1.95). Associations were not significant among other Asians or for other outcomes. Conclusion: Our results indicate a heterogeneous association between NSES with psychosocial health among Asian Americans of NYC, persisting beyond individual-level SES. Low NSES was associated with adverse psychosocial health among Asians from the Indian subcontinent but better psychosocial health among Chinese Americans. Further examination into potential sources of resilience such as social cohesion, for Chinese American residents residing in low resourced neighborhoods, is warranted.