IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v296y2022ics027795362100383x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Household overcrowding trajectories and mental well-being

Author

Listed:
  • Ruiz-Tagle, Jaime
  • Urria, Ignacio

Abstract

It has been widely documented that both housing conditions and household overcrowding over time negatively affect physical and mental health. However, scant evidence documents this dynamic relationship in the low- and middle-income countries of Latin America, where housing issues remain a relevant policy consideration. Employing a nationally representative panel dataset of 10,024 Chilean households, we examine whether variation in household overcrowding levels between 2006 and 2009 is associated with the prevalence of depressive symptoms in 2009, measured by the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The survey allows us to follow households over time to identify those who have experienced variation in overcrowding due to changes in household size or due to changes in housing conditions, which do not occur too frequently over time. We find that an increase in household overcrowding levels (due to a reduction in the number of available bedrooms) is associated with an increase in depressive symptoms, while a constant or decreasing trajectory of household overcrowding over time is not associated with changes in depressive symptoms. These results suggest an asymmetric relationship between household density and mental health over a three-year window and highlight the importance of preventive housing policies to address overcrowding alongside policies to reduce existing overcrowding.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruiz-Tagle, Jaime & Urria, Ignacio, 2022. "Household overcrowding trajectories and mental well-being," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:296:y:2022:i:c:s027795362100383x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114051
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027795362100383X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114051?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Luz María Vergara & Vincent Gruis & Kees van der Flier, 2019. "The role of third sector organisations in the management of social condominiums in Chile: the case of Proyecto Propio," International Journal of Housing Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 354-384, July.
    2. Kamila Cygan‐Rehm & Daniel Kuehnle & Michael Oberfichtner, 2017. "Bounding the causal effect of unemployment on mental health: Nonparametric evidence from four countries," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(12), pages 1844-1861, December.
    3. Irene Molina & Darinka Czischke & Raquel Rolnik, 2019. "Housing policy issues in contemporary South America: an introduction," International Journal of Housing Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 277-287, July.
    4. Jaime Ruiz-Tagle & Pablo Troncoso, 2018. "Labor Cost of Mental Health: Evidence from Chile," Working Papers wp468, University of Chile, Department of Economics.
    5. Mylène Riva & Christina Larsen & Peter Bjerregaard, 2014. "Household crowding and psychosocial health among Inuit in Greenland," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 59(5), pages 739-748, October.
    6. Jin, Yinzi & Zhu, Dawei & He, Ping, 2020. "Social causation or social selection? The longitudinal interrelationship between poverty and depressive symptoms in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).
    7. Ohrnberger, Julius & Fichera, Eleonora & Sutton, Matt, 2017. "The relationship between physical and mental health: A mediation analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 42-49.
    8. Paula Freire Santoro, 2019. "Inclusionary housing policies in Latin America: São Paulo, Brazil in dialogue with Bogotá, Colombia," European Journal of Housing Policy, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 385-410, July.
    9. Jahanvash Karim & Robert Weisz & Zainab Bibi & Shafiq Ur Rehman, 2015. "Validation of the Eight-Item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) Among Older Adults," Post-Print hal-01796436, HAL.
    10. Whittle, Henry J. & Leddy, Anna M. & Shieh, Jacqueline & Tien, Phyllis C. & Ofotokun, Ighovwerha & Adimora, Adaora A. & Turan, Janet M. & Frongillo, Edward A. & Turan, Bulent & Weiser, Sheri D., 2020. "Precarity and health: Theorizing the intersection of multiple material-need insecurities, stigma, and illness among women in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    11. Henson, Rosie Mae & Ortigoza, Ana & Martinez-Folgar, Kevin & Baeza, Fernando & Caiaffa, Waleska & Vives Vergara, Alejandra & Diez Roux, Ana V. & Lovasi, Gina, 2020. "Evaluating the health effects of place-based slum upgrading physical environment interventions: A systematic review (2012–2018)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    12. Irene Molina & Darinka Czischke & Raquel Rolnik, 2019. "Housing policy issues in contemporary South America: an introduction," European Journal of Housing Policy, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 277-287, July.
    13. Reiss, Franziska, 2013. "Socioeconomic inequalities and mental health problems in children and adolescents: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 24-31.
    14. César Patricio Bouillon (ed.), 2012. "Room for Development," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-137-03146-4.
    15. Luz María Vergara & Vincent Gruis & Kees van der Flier, 2019. "The role of third sector organisations in the management of social condominiums in Chile: the case of Proyecto Propio," European Journal of Housing Policy, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 354-384, July.
    16. Paula Freire Santoro, 2019. "Inclusionary housing policies in Latin America: São Paulo, Brazil in dialogue with Bogotá, Colombia," International Journal of Housing Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 385-410, July.
    17. Leventhal, T. & Brooks-Gunn, J., 2003. "Moving to Oppurtunity: An Experimental Study of Neighborhood Effects on Mental Health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(9), pages 1576-1582.
    18. Wanyeki, Ian & Olson, Sherry & Brassard, Paul & Menzies, Dick & Ross, Nancy & Behr, Marcel & Schwartzman, Kevin, 2006. "Dwellings, crowding, and tuberculosis in Montreal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 501-511, July.
    19. Frijters, Paul & Johnston, David W. & Shields, Michael A., 2010. "Mental Health and Labour Market Participation: Evidence from IV Panel Data Models," IZA Discussion Papers 4883, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    20. Hojman, Daniel A. & Miranda, Álvaro & Ruiz-Tagle, Jaime, 2016. "Debt trajectories and mental health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 54-62.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Alessia Riva & Andrea Rebecchi & Stefano Capolongo & Marco Gola, 2022. "Can Homes Affect Well-Being? A Scoping Review among Housing Conditions, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Mental Health Outcomes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-25, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alejandra Reyes & Patricia Basile, 2022. "The Distinctive Evolution Of Housing Financialization In Brazil And Mexico," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(6), pages 933-953, November.
    2. Eduarda Marques da Costa & Ideni Terezinha Antonello, 2021. "Urban Planning and Residential Segregation in Brazil—The Failure of the “Special Zone of Social Interest” Instrument in Londrina City (PR)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-18, November.
    3. Naijie Guan & Alessandra Guariglia & Patrick Moore & Fangzhou Xu & Hareth Al-Janabi, 2022. "Financial stress and depression in adults: A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(2), pages 1-20, February.
    4. Claudio M. Rocha, 2023. "Rio 2016 Olympic Legacy for Residents of Favelas: Revisiting the Case of Vila Autódromo Five Years Later," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, March.
    5. Daniela Gabor, 2021. "The Wall Street Consensus," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 52(3), pages 429-459, May.
    6. Juan Yan & Marietta Haffner & Marja Elsinga, 2021. "Inclusionary Housing: An Evaluation of a New Public Rental Housing Governance Instrument in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-17, March.
    7. Gabor, Daniela, 2020. "The Wall Street Consensus," SocArXiv wab8m, Center for Open Science.
    8. Beata Nowogońska & Magdalena Mielczarek, 2021. "Renovation Management Method in Neglected Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-20, January.
    9. Israel Escudero-Castillo & Fco. Javier Mato-Díaz & Ana Rodriguez-Alvarez, 2021. "Furloughs, Teleworking and Other Work Situations during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Impact on Mental Well-Being," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-16, March.
    10. Eduilson Carneiro & Wilza Lopes & Giovana Espindola, 2021. "Linking Urban Sprawl and Surface Urban Heat Island in the Teresina–Timon Conurbation Area in Brazil," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-16, May.
    11. Giulietti, Corrado & Vlassopoulos, Michael & Zenou, Yves, 2022. "Peers, gender, and long-term depression," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    12. Scholten, Lincy & Betkó, János & Gesthuizen, Maurice & Fransen-Kuppens, Gerdine & de Vet, Renée & Wolf, Judith, 2023. "Reciprocal relations between financial hardship, sense of societal belonging and mental health for social assistance recipients," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 321(C).
    13. Ivan Turok & Andreas Scheba & Justin Visagie, 2022. "Can social housing help to integrate divided cities? [Segregation and the urban rich; enclaves, networks and mobilities]," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 15(1), pages 93-116.
    14. Tiznado-Aitken, Ignacio & Lucas, Karen & Muñoz, Juan Carlos & Hurtubia, Ricardo, 2022. "Freedom of choice? Social and spatial disparities on combined housing and transport affordability," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 39-53.
    15. Vergel-Tovar, C. Erik, 2023. "Understanding barriers and opportunities for promoting transit-oriented development with bus rapid transit in Bogotá and Quito," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    16. Shin Bin Tan, 2023. "Do ethnic integration policies also improve socio-economic integration? A study of residential segregation in Singapore," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 60(4), pages 696-717, March.
    17. Genevieve Gariepy & Frank J Elgar & Mariane Sentenac & Christopher Barrington-Leigh, 2017. "Early-life family income and subjective well-being in adolescents," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(7), pages 1-11, July.
    18. Karen Soledad Villanueva-Paredes & Grace Ximena Villanueva-Paredes, 2023. "Policies and Mechanisms of Public Financing for Social Housing in Peru," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-22, June.
    19. Jiru Song & Mingzheng Hu & Shaojie Li & Xin Ye, 2023. "The Impact Mechanism of Household Financial Debt on Physical Health in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-13, March.
    20. Francesca Cornaglia & Naomi E. Feldman & Andrew Leigh, 2014. "Crime and Mental Well-Being," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 49(1), pages 110-140.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Overcrowding; Mental health; Depressive symptoms; Housing conditions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • R2 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:296:y:2022:i:c:s027795362100383x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.