Relationship between Environmental Conditions and Utilisation of Community-Based Mental Health Care: A Comparative Study before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

Eleonora Prina (), Federico Tedeschi, Antonio Lasalvia, Damiano Salazzari, Sara Latini, Laura Rabbi, Federica Marando, Elaine van Rijn, Jan Wollgast, Enrico Pisoni, Bertrand Bessagnet, Maxime Beauchamp and Francesco Amaddeo
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Eleonora Prina: Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Science, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Federico Tedeschi: Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Science, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Antonio Lasalvia: Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Science, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Damiano Salazzari: Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Science, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Sara Latini: Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Science, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Laura Rabbi: Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Science, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Federica Marando: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy
Elaine van Rijn: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy
Jan Wollgast: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy
Enrico Pisoni: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy
Bertrand Bessagnet: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy
Maxime Beauchamp: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy
Francesco Amaddeo: Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Science, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 6, 1-15

Abstract: (1) Background: Lower socioeconomic status increases psychiatric service use, exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic by environmental stressors like air pollution and limited green spaces. This study aims to assess the influence of sociodemographic and environmental factors on mental health service utilisation. (2) Methods: This retrospective study uses an administrative database focusing on community mental health services in Northeast Italy. Spatial and temporal analyses were used to address space–time dependencies. (3) Results: Findings showed that sociodemographic factors like living in rented apartments and lower education levels predicted higher mental health service use. Environmental factors, such as elevated NO 2 levels and, before the pandemic, lower solar radiation and tree cover, correlated with increased service utilisation. COVID-19 reduced most of the pre-existing differences associated with these factors across census blocks with a different composition of sociodemographic and environmental factors. (4) Conclusions: These findings contribute to a better understanding of the impact of the environment on public mental health.

Keywords: community-based mental health care; COVID-19 pandemic; environmental conditions; Italy; register study; service utilisation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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