Housing conditions and mental health in a disadvantaged area in Scotland

Objective - To examine the mental health impact of different aspects of poor housing. Design - This was a post hoc analysis of data from a household interview survey. Setting - A public sector housing estate on the outskirts of Glasgow. Subjects - These comprised 114 men and 333 women aged between 17 and 65 from 451 households. Measures - Dependent variable: scoring greater than or equal to 5 on the 30 item general health questionnaire (GHQ30). Independent variables: self reported data on household composition, whether ill health was a factor in the move to the current dwelling, length of time at address, household income, whether the respondent was unemployed, chronic illness, and 6 problems with the dwelling. Results - Reporting a problem with dampness was significantly and indpendently associated with scores of greater than or equal to 5 on the GHQ30 after controlling for possible confounding variables. Conclusion - Initiatives to tackle housing dampness may be important in developing a strategy to improve mental health for the study area. More research on the mental health impact of different aspects of poor housing is required.