Exploratory Study of Neighborhood Change Effect on Mental Health in a Highly Gentrifying Neighborhood

Abstract

Abstract Neighborhood change (NC) is a social determinant of health with direct psychosocial and economic impacts. Our objective was to assess the association between perceptions of NC and self-perceived mental health in a community experiencing intense neighborhood change. We conducted a cross-sectional study using random and convenience sampling from September 2020 to February 2021. Our measures included a combination of scales and indexes that were used for conducting bivariate and cluster analyses. We conducted a regression analysis to determine the variables most influencing mental health. Two clusters were most often significantly different – those with high negative and positive perceptions of NC. There was a positive association between poor or fair mental health and the perceived negative impact of NC. Cluster membership is an important aspect to understanding NC effects on mental health. The negative impact based on self-perception and vulnerable populations was shown to a strong predictor in regression analyses.