The Influence of the Urban Environment on Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focus on Air Pollution and Migration—A Narrative Review

Giulia Menculini, Francesco Bernardini, Luigi Attademo, Pierfrancesco Maria Balducci, Tiziana Sciarma, Patrizia Moretti and Alfonso Tortorella
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Giulia Menculini: Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy
Francesco Bernardini: CSM 24 ore Area delle Dolomiti Friulane, Department of Mental Health, AsFO Friuli Occidentale, 33170 Pordenone, Italy
Luigi Attademo: Planetary Health Lab, Old Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK
Pierfrancesco Maria Balducci: Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy
Tiziana Sciarma: Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy
Patrizia Moretti: Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy
Alfonso Tortorella: Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a crisis worldwide, due to both its public health impact and socio-economic consequences. Mental health was consistently affected by the pandemic, with the emergence of newly diagnosed psychiatric disorders and the exacerbation of pre-existing ones. Urban areas were particularly affected by the virus spread. In this review, we analyze how the urban environment may influence mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering two factors that profoundly characterize urbanization: air pollution and migration. Air pollution serves as a possibly risk factor for higher viral spread and infection severity in the context of urban areas and it has also been demonstrated to play a role in the development of serious mental illnesses and their relapses. The urban environment also represents a complex social context where minorities such as migrants may live in poor hygienic conditions and lack access to adequate mental health care. A global rethinking of the urban environment is thus required to reduce the impact of these factors on mental health. This should include actions aimed at reducing air pollution and combating climate change, promoting at the same time a more inclusive society in a sustainable development perspective.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; mental health; social determinants; air pollution; climate change; migration; refugees; urban environment; urbanization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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