The contribution of residential situations to mental health during COVID-19: A longitudinal survey

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, extended periods of confinement made housing the focal point of daily life. While the impact of sanitary health measures on mental health has been extensively studied, the role of housing remains less understood. Our literature review indicates that...

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Main Authors: Pablo García de Paredes, Sergio Cortez Ghio, Marie Baron, Annie LeBlanc, Carole Després
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Wellbeing, Space and Society
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666558125000399
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author Pablo García de Paredes
Sergio Cortez Ghio
Marie Baron
Annie LeBlanc
Carole Després
author_facet Pablo García de Paredes
Sergio Cortez Ghio
Marie Baron
Annie LeBlanc
Carole Després
author_sort Pablo García de Paredes
collection DOAJ
description During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, extended periods of confinement made housing the focal point of daily life. While the impact of sanitary health measures on mental health has been extensively studied, the role of housing remains less understood. Our literature review indicates that housing characteristics and usage patterns influenced mental health outcomes during the pandemic. This study aims to test the hypothesis that the concept of residential situation –an original framework integrating housing attributes, individual and household characteristics, and occupational profiles– is associated with stress, wellbeing, depression, and anxiety measures. We employed data mining techniques and ordinal logistic regression models on a sample of 781 participants from a longitudinal survey conducted in Québec, Canada, between April 2020 and May 2021. Our findings reveal that higher dwelling occupation density is positively associated with increased stress levels. Additionally, apartment living, after adjusting for the number of children under the age of nine, shows a significant association with stress. Feelings of depression and low wellbeing are linked with experiencing separation from loved ones. Also, depression, wellbeing, and anxiety measures were found to be strongly associated with income. This study underscores the effectiveness of a comprehensive framework, applying the interdisciplinary concept of residential situations to capture the nuanced impact of housing on mental health through its links to family dynamics, and shows the importance of social class membership for mental health during crises.
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spelling doaj-art-714f79fd729f40fc9e1b00388d3c8d452025-08-20T02:00:54ZengElsevierWellbeing, Space and Society2666-55812025-06-01810027310.1016/j.wss.2025.100273The contribution of residential situations to mental health during COVID-19: A longitudinal surveyPablo García de Paredes0Sergio Cortez Ghio1Marie Baron2Annie LeBlanc3Carole Després4École d’architecture et Centre de recherche en aménagement et développement (CRAD), Université Laval, Québec, Canada; VITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Québec, QC G1J 2G1, Canada; Corresponding author at: 861 Rue de la Marée Haute, appartement 202, Ville de Quebec, Canada G1V8T6.Ex Machina Biostats, Research Support Department, Québec, G1E 6P3, CanadaVITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Québec, QC G1J 2G1, CanadaVITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Québec, QC G1J 2G1, Canada; Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, CanadaÉcole d’architecture et Centre de recherche en aménagement et développement (CRAD), Université Laval, Québec, Canada; VITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Québec, QC G1J 2G1, CanadaDuring the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, extended periods of confinement made housing the focal point of daily life. While the impact of sanitary health measures on mental health has been extensively studied, the role of housing remains less understood. Our literature review indicates that housing characteristics and usage patterns influenced mental health outcomes during the pandemic. This study aims to test the hypothesis that the concept of residential situation –an original framework integrating housing attributes, individual and household characteristics, and occupational profiles– is associated with stress, wellbeing, depression, and anxiety measures. We employed data mining techniques and ordinal logistic regression models on a sample of 781 participants from a longitudinal survey conducted in Québec, Canada, between April 2020 and May 2021. Our findings reveal that higher dwelling occupation density is positively associated with increased stress levels. Additionally, apartment living, after adjusting for the number of children under the age of nine, shows a significant association with stress. Feelings of depression and low wellbeing are linked with experiencing separation from loved ones. Also, depression, wellbeing, and anxiety measures were found to be strongly associated with income. This study underscores the effectiveness of a comprehensive framework, applying the interdisciplinary concept of residential situations to capture the nuanced impact of housing on mental health through its links to family dynamics, and shows the importance of social class membership for mental health during crises.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666558125000399Residential situationMental healthDASS21COVID-19HousingData mining
spellingShingle Pablo García de Paredes
Sergio Cortez Ghio
Marie Baron
Annie LeBlanc
Carole Després
The contribution of residential situations to mental health during COVID-19: A longitudinal survey
Wellbeing, Space and Society
Residential situation
Mental health
DASS21
COVID-19
Housing
Data mining
title The contribution of residential situations to mental health during COVID-19: A longitudinal survey
title_full The contribution of residential situations to mental health during COVID-19: A longitudinal survey
title_fullStr The contribution of residential situations to mental health during COVID-19: A longitudinal survey
title_full_unstemmed The contribution of residential situations to mental health during COVID-19: A longitudinal survey
title_short The contribution of residential situations to mental health during COVID-19: A longitudinal survey
title_sort contribution of residential situations to mental health during covid 19 a longitudinal survey
topic Residential situation
Mental health
DASS21
COVID-19
Housing
Data mining
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666558125000399
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