Within-person, longitudinal associations between neighborhood cohesion and adult mental health: A test of bidirectional relations

Background: There is theory and evidence supporting a relationship between neighborhood cohesion and mental health among adult people. However, most studies have used a cross-sectional design, and longitudinal studies have provided mixed support for this hypothesis. Moreover, while neighborhood cohesion is assumed to be a consistent predictor of mental health, the possibility of a reciprocal relation has been overlooked. Aim: The aim of the current study was to investigate the within-person reciprocal associations between neighborhood cohesion and adult mental health. Methods: This study used data from Understanding Society: the UK Household Longitudinal Study including waves 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 ( n = 81,895). A short version of Buckner’s Neighborhood Cohesion Instrument was used, along with two well-established measures of mental health: the 12-item General Health Questionnaire and the mental component summary score of the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey. Results: Hierarchical Bayesian continuous time dynamic modeling revealed significant reciprocal within-person cross-effects (i.e. deterministic effects) between neighborhood cohesion and adult mental health, a larger standardized effect of mental health on neighborhood cohesion than than vice versa. Moreover, peak standardized cross-lagged effects were found for a time interval of approximately 1 year. Finally, the combined stochastic and deterministic interpretation revealed effects of neighborhood cohesion on mental health that were opposite to what was expected, suggesting a faster dissipation of some initially correlated change. Conclusion: Although neighborhood cohesion has traditionally been conceptualized in terms of its contribution to mental health, there is greater support for the view that mental health precedes neighborhood cohesion rather than the reverse.