Neighborhood physical disorder and common mental disorders in adolescence

Objective The aim of this study is to estimate the association between observed indicators of neighborhood physical disorder and common mental disorders in adolescents. Methods The study population included 2506 adolescents from three Brazilian state capitals (Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, and Fortaleza) who participated in the Cardiovascular Risk Study in Adolescents (ERICA), a cross-sectional school-based study conducted in 2013-2014. Common mental disorders were assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Measures of neighborhood physical disorder were based on the 2010 Brazilian census data and were derived using principal component analysis. Results Although associations were found between some exposure components and CMD, there were no clear or consistent trends across exposure quartiles. Conclusion Overall, there was no evidence of an association between observed indicators of neighborhood physical disorder and common mental disorders. Future studies should explore alternative tools for measuring neighborhood physical disorder to minimize the likelihood of exposure misclassification.