Use of Geographic Information Systems to Explore Associations between Neighborhood Attributes and Mental Health Outcomes in Adults: A Systematic Review.

Young-Shin Park,Ying Song,Merrie J Kaas,Barbara J Mcmorris,Jean F Wyman,Lisiane Pruinelli

doi:10.3390/ijerph18168597

Abstract

Background: Neighborhood attributes are increasingly recognized as factors shaping mental health in adults. Geographic information systems (GIS) offer an innovative approach for quantifying neighborhood attributes and studying their influence on mental health outcomes. Our aim was to describe GIS applications used in neighborhood-related mental health research and how neighborhood attributes are related to depressive symptoms or psychological distress in community-residing adults. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies published in English that included GIS techniques and a validated questionnaire of depressive symptoms or psychological distress. Medline, PsycInfo, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, GEOBASE, and Compedex were searched to June 2020. Study quality was assessed by a modification of the Joanna Briggs Institute’s Checklist for Analytical Cross-sectional Studies. Results: Thirty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies varied in definitions of neighborhood and GIS-derived measurements of neighborhood attributes. Neighborhood attributes were significantly associated with mental health outcomes, although findings were not consistent. Moderating factors (e.g., gender, living conditions) significantly influenced depressive symptoms or psychological distress. Conclusion: Neighborhood attributes are important factors influencing mental health in adults. Consensus may be needed on how to standardize the neighborhood unit or GIS-derived measures of neighborhoods in order to explain depression or psychological distress in diverse adult populations.

Highlights

Introduction published maps and institutional affilGlobally, depression is the most common mental health disorder
This review demonstrates how Geographic information systems (GIS) can measure physical neighborhood attributes objectively and expand the scope of neighborhood-related mental health research
The results indicate how GIS-derived neighborhood measurements can be used when examining the social determinants of depressive symptoms and psychological distress in adults in terms of physical environmental characteristics

Summary

Introduction

Introduction published maps and institutional affilGlobally, depression is the most common mental health disorder. Depression complicates chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, stroke, respiratory diseases, auto-immune diseases, and cognitive impairment [3,4,5]. It is one of the leading causes of disability or suicide [6]. Depression is influenced by an interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors [8]. While the impact of individual factors for depression is becoming clear, social influences such as neighborhood characteristics on depression are not well-known. Because depression is a stress-related disorder, the psychological consequences of living in a particular neighborhood may differ across regions [8,9].

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