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COVID-19 Lockdown: Housing Built Environment’s Effects on Mental Health

Author

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  • Andrea Amerio

    (Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
    IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy
    Department of Psychiatry, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA)

  • Andrea Brambilla

    (Department of Architecture, Built environment and Construction engineering (DABC), Design & Health Lab, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Alessandro Morganti

    (Department of Architecture, Built environment and Construction engineering (DABC), Design & Health Lab, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Andrea Aguglia

    (Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
    IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy)

  • Davide Bianchi

    (Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
    IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy)

  • Francesca Santi

    (Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
    IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy)

  • Luigi Costantini

    (Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy)

  • Anna Odone

    (School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
    Clinical Epidemiology and HTA, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy)

  • Alessandra Costanza

    (Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva (UNIGE), 1206 Geneva, Switzerland
    Department of Psychiatry, ASO Santi Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo Hospital, 15121 Alessandria, Italy)

  • Carlo Signorelli

    (School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy)

  • Gianluca Serafini

    (Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
    IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy)

  • Mario Amore

    (Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
    IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy)

  • Stefano Capolongo

    (Department of Architecture, Built environment and Construction engineering (DABC), Design & Health Lab, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy)

Abstract

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic on 11 March, severe lockdown measures have been adopted by the Italian Government. For over two months of stay-at-home orders, houses became the only place where people slept, ate, worked, practiced sports, and socialized. As consolidated evidence exists on housing as a determinant of health, it is of great interest to explore the impact that COVID-19 response-related lockdown measures have had on mental health and well-being. We conducted a large web-based survey on 8177 students from a university institute in Milan, Northern Italy, one of the regions most heavily hit by the pandemic in Europe. As emerged from our analysis, poor housing is associated with increased risk of depressive symptoms during lockdown. In particular, living in apartments <60 m 2 with poor views and scarce indoor quality is associated with, respectively, 1.31 (95% CI: 1046–1637), 1.368 (95% CI: 1166–1605), and 2.253 (95% CI: 1918–2647) times the risk of moderate–severe and severe depressive symptoms. Subjects reporting worsened working performance from home were over four times more likely to also report depression (OR = 4.28, 95% CI: 3713–4924). Housing design strategies should focus on larger and more livable living spaces facing green areas. We argue that a strengthened multi-interdisciplinary approach, involving urban planning, public mental health, environmental health, epidemiology, and sociology, is needed to investigate the effects of the built environment on mental health, so as to inform welfare and housing policies centered on population well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Amerio & Andrea Brambilla & Alessandro Morganti & Andrea Aguglia & Davide Bianchi & Francesca Santi & Luigi Costantini & Anna Odone & Alessandra Costanza & Carlo Signorelli & Gianluca Serafini , 2020. "COVID-19 Lockdown: Housing Built Environment’s Effects on Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-10, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:16:p:5973-:d:400189
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andrea Rebecchi & Maddalena Buffoli & Marco Dettori & Letizia Appolloni & Antonio Azara & Paolo Castiglia & Daniela D’Alessandro & Stefano Capolongo, 2019. "Walkable Environments and Healthy Urban Moves: Urban Context Features Assessment Framework Experienced in Milan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-18, May.
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    3. Jenny J. Roe & Catharine Ward Thompson & Peter A. Aspinall & Mark J. Brewer & Elizabeth I. Duff & David Miller & Richard Mitchell & Angela Clow, 2013. "Green Space and Stress: Evidence from Cortisol Measures in Deprived Urban Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-18, September.
    4. Catharine Ward Thompson, 2016. "Editorial: Landscape and Health special issue," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(6), pages 591-597, August.
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