Levels of mental ill health and associated outcomes (e.g. suicide, drug dependence) have been shown to vary according to environment and neighbourhood context, as well as being influenced by individual

risk factors and life histories. Early work by Faris and Dunham, for example, showing such variation has been confirmed by numerous studies, adopting different designs. These include multilevel and longitudinal studies which allow for an interplay of area context and individual risk factors. Other forms

of design, such as purely spatial (ecological) or spatio-temporal have provided additional evidence on the influence of neighbourhood context, for example, whether some community characteristics (e.g. cohesion and neighbourhood resilience) offset the effect of adverse environmental factors.

The collection will focus especially on depression, though associations between depression incidence and other health outcomes are also relevant. A number of issues are still in debate, for example whether neighbourhood influences on depression are primary or subsidiary; whether they mainly function as

mediating influences, which modify the influence of individual risk factors; which environmental factors are most important and whether some have only minor importance; and links between depression and intersectional disadvantage, where the latter may include area deprivation. The special issue invites studies which contribute novel additions to the literature, or provide informative overviews of existing research via review, critique, or meta-analysis.

Key topics for this collection include, but are not limited to:

o The causal mechanisms linking neighbourhood context to depression

o Whether community factors moderate or mediate individual risk influences

o Identification of protective versus risk-enhancing environmental characteristics

o Pathways from depression to other mental health outcomes

o Reviews, critiques, and meta-analyses synthesizing current knowledge

Unresolved questions remain—such as the degree to which neighbourhood factors are primary drivers versus secondary mediators of depression, which specific environmental aspects are most influential, and how intersectional disadvantages shape risk.

We seek submissions that are methodologically rigorous, offer novel perspectives, or leverage automation and AI-powered analytics to push the field forward. Join us in exploring how where we live shapes mental health—and how technological advances can help accelerate new insights.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Depression and its Comorbidities in Context: Unraveling the Impact of Neighbourhood Environments on Mental Health