Mental Health
Mental Health And Neighborhood Deprivation, Results From A Spatial Distribution Analysis (2012-2014) In Southeast Louisiana Kristyne D Mansilla Dubon* Kristyne Mansilla Dubon Mansilla Dubon Mansilla Dubon Epidemiology Department University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
Neighborhood disadvantage is linked to poorer mental health, yet few studies have explored the spatial distribution patterns of mental health and neighborhood deprivation. Literature on spatial analysis at the block-group level remains limited. We examined the spatial distribution of depression, distress, and neighborhood deprivation in Southeast Louisiana using data from a prospective cohort of women in the WaTCH Study recruited 2012-2014. Residential locations were geocoded and linked to block-group–level state Area Deprivation Index (ADI) from 2012. Mental health outcomes included depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥16) and psychological distress (K6 ≥13). Spatial analyses employed choropleth mapping, Getis–Ord Gi* hot spot analysis, and K-means clustering. Maps showed that depressive symptoms were spread across Southeast Louisiana, with higher-prevalence block groups concentrated in localized areas. Most block groups had low psychological distress prevalence, with only a few showing elevated distress. ADI choropleths demonstrated variation in neighborhood disadvantage, with both highly (ADI≥7) and less deprived (ADI≤4) block groups scattered across the region. The hotspot analysis revealed no statistically significant clustering for depression. We observed a single block group classified as a hot spot for psychological distress. ADI showed substantial spatial clustering with several block groups identified as hot spots (n=18) and cold spots (n=16). Cluster analysis identified distinct patterns. Related to depression, we observed: 1) moderate deprivation with low depression, 2) low deprivation with low depression, 3) high deprivation with moderate depression, and 4) moderate deprivation with high depressive symptoms. Related to psychological distress, we observed moderate deprivation with both higher and lower distress, while high deprivation clustered mainly with moderate distress. Neighborhood-scale spatial analyses are important to identify spatial variation of both mental health outcomes and neighborhood deprivation, which can be masked by individual-level analyses or state-wide averages. Block-group–level analyses identified localized clusters of psychological outcomes and provided insight on how specific neighborhood contexts may be related to mental health.
