How early-life exposure to air and noise pollution impacts youth mental health: Insights from a 25-year study

By Priyanjana Pramanik, MSc.May 31 2024Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM In a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers examined the impact of prenatal and early life exposure to noise and air pollution on mental health outcomes, specifically depression, anxiety, and psychotic experiences, in individuals aged 13 to 24.

Background Existing research highlights the critical periods of childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood for the development of psychiatric disorders, with nearly two-thirds of affected individuals becoming unwell by age 25. About the study The current study aimed to address existing research gaps by using high-resolution pollution data linked to a longitudinal cohort, focusing on depression, anxiety, and psychotic experiences, to advance understanding of how early-life pollution exposure affects mental health from adolescence into early adulthood.

Covariates included individual- and family-level factors such as ethnicity, family psychiatric history, maternal social class, education, and neighborhood-level factors like population density and greenspace. The mental health data showed that 19.5% of participants reported experiencing psychotic episodes, and 11.4% reported that they had depression. Additionally, 9.7% reported anxiety.

The results highlight the importance of early-life pollution exposure on mental health, suggesting that interventions that target the reduction of noise and air pollution could improve youth mental health outcomes. Sensitivity analyses supported the robustness of these findings.

Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)

Pollution Air Pollution Anxiety Depression Oxidative Stress Pregnancy Prenatal Research Stress

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