New research from the APEAL lab, in partnership with University College London, points to the effects of the neighbourhood social environment on adolescent mental health.
The paper, published in Psychological Medicine, examined neighbourhood social cohesion – a sense of community and trust among residents – at five timepoints from early childhood to preadolescence in a sample of over 5000 Canadian children. Changes in neighbourhood social cohesion throughout childhood were associated with different mental health outcomes in adolescence.
Overall, results suggested that children’s experience of social cohesion within their community may contribute to healthy social and emotional development.
Congratulations to first author Mila Kingsbury, as well as alumna Maeve Wickham and the rest of the APEAL team!
Click here to read the article in Psychological Medicine.