EXTERNAL BUILT RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERISTICS AND MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN AN URBAN SLUM IN IBADAN

Abstract

Background: External built residential environment is defined here as the external physical condition of the home, infrastructural resources created or modified by people. External built residential environment characteristics include aspects of building designs such as type of building, walls, doors, and windows, the density of houses, green spaces, garbage, and waste disposal facilities, street lighting, access pathways etc. The residential environment is a critical component of the built environment and this can impact an individual either positively or negatively. The optimal functioning of a person depends on some vital factors such as good nutrition, quality education and decent environment amongst others. Young people are people in the age group of 10 – 24 years who constitute a vital part of all community, they are vulnerable and as such needs physical, social, and psychological support for proper development and optimal functioning. The type of neighborhood people dwell in is characterized by their socio-economic status and the socio-physical environment of slums is diverse and can compromise in a variety of ways. Built an environment with good design enhances physical, social, and mental well-being while residents that are continuously exposed to poor quality external built environment characteristics are likely to experience psychosocial stress which increases the likelihood of developing mental health problems or disorders. More studies have focused on the built environment and mental health but very few studies have considered the impact of the built environment on mental health. Objective: This study aims at determining the association between external built residential environment characteristics and mental health problems among young people in an urban slum in Ibadan. Method: This was a community-based cross-sectional study in which young people between the ages 10 to 24 years and who had lived in the area for at least one year were recruited from each household through two-stage sampling techniques. The Beck’s depression inventory (BDI) was used to screen for depression and the strength and difficulties questionnaire was used to screen for other mental health problems. A self-designed checklist was used to get the pattern of the external built residential environment characteristics. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), percentages and frequencies were used to describe the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents as well as the prevalence of MHP among the respondents. Chi-square was used to investigate the association between external built environment characteristics and MHP. Result: A total of 305 participants aged 10 to 24 years, with 166 (54.6%) being females. Depression was reported to be 30.2% and the score for total difficulty for the SDQ was 15.1%. Findings from this study revealed a greater percent ( 64.3%) of the respondents living in mud houses, more than three-quarters of their windows are wooden with all the doors being wooden too. 195 of the 305 and respondents live in houses whose doors and windows (64.6%) are below the standard recommended sizes Furthermore, 92 (30.2%) of the 305 (100%) live in houses with dilapidated walls, the respondents whose floor types is made of wood plank and mud are 121 (39.7%) and 107 (35.1%) respectively. Noteworthily, 93 (30.5%) of the 305 (100%) of the respondents do not have bathrooms and nearly a half of the 149 (48.9%) had their bathrooms made of wood detached from their building. The type of sewage facility in use here is predominately pit latrine with the slab as a greater percentage 228 (74.8%) accounts for it, also 4.9% of the 305% use bucket and open field in place of toilets. About 198 (64.9%) of the 305 respondents dispose their waste by burning while 25.2% of them use the open dumpsite system. Sex, family type and religion were significantly associated with depression. Also, building type, type and state of doors and windows, floor type, sewage and garbage disposal facilities were all significantly associated with conduct related, peer related, emotional and hyperactivity related problems among young people in the study area. Conclusion: This study was able to reveal that people’s built environment and neighborhood can affect their health both physically as well as mentally. Young and growing people need a decent and comfortable environment to thrive and function optimally. Government and town planners should employ the use of available resources to upgrade the built residential environment through modification of available residential structures to protect the residents from factors that can affect them socially, psychologically and mentally.