Families living in poor housing conditions more likely to have mental health issues — ESRI

Kenneth Fox

New research, published by the ESRI shows families living in poorer quality housing have lower social and emotional wellbeing.

Using data on the families of children born in 2008 from the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study, the findings show mothers living in inadequate housing and poorer quality neighbourhoods report more depression, find parenting more stressful, and report greater conflict and less closeness with their children.

The children of these mothers, in turn, face greater social and emotional difficulties at age nine.

Inadequate housing includes damp conditions, lack of heating and accommodation being too small, and poorer quality neighbourhoods refer to areas with more disorder and less social support.

Income is a crucial driver of housing and neighbourhood quality.

They said low-income families are more likely to live in unsuitable homes (such as damp or cramped conditions), to struggle to heat their homes and to reside in areas characterised by greater disorder and lower levels of social capital (bonds and support among neighbours).

Long-term access to resources also plays an important role, with those excluded from the labour market (lone-parent families and parents with a disability) experiencing poorer quality housing.

Families of children with disabilities are more likely to be in homes that are unsuitable and neighbourhoods with more disorder and less social support.

Some migrant-origin families, especially of African or Asian origin, are more likely to experience inadequate housing, even taking account of their income levels.

Problems of housing quality, or having to frequently move home, are more common among those living in the privately rented and socially rented sectors (social housing).

Families who have experienced adverse life events, such as mental health problems, addiction and contact with the criminal justice system, are more likely to be living in inadequate housing and more disorderly neighbourhoods.

Living in homes where families struggle to heat is strongly linked to mothers’ wellbeing.

Poor quality relationships

They report more depressive symptoms, more conflict and less closeness with their child. They have a more hostile parenting style, find parenting more stressful, and report poorer quality relationships with their partner.

Mothers in poorer quality housing, such as overcrowded or damp conditions, also find parenting more stressful, report lower quality relationships with their partner, and have more depressive symptoms.

Mothers who spend more time in privately rented homes (compared to an owned home) have more depressive symptoms, find parenting more stressful, and have a more hostile parenting style.

Neighbourhood quality is strongly linked to mothers’ wellbeing.

Mothers who spend longer living in more disorderly neighbourhoods and areas with less cohesion among neighbours have more depressive symptoms, a less warm and more hostile parenting style; they find parenting more stressful, and they report more conflict and less closeness with their child.

Children who spend more time growing up in worse housing conditions and poorer quality neighbourhoods face greater social and emotional difficulties at age nine than their peers.

Children in homes that families struggle to keep warm or in more disorderly neighbourhoods appear to face socio-emotional difficulties because of their mother’s greater stress, depression and parenting style.

The research highlights the importance of addressing housing and neighbourhood quality in promoting family and child wellbeing.

The proportion of families found struggling to heat their homes suggests the need for supports for upgrading (retrofitting) as well as additional targeted financial assistance to low-income families.

They said it also highlights the importance of putting in place supports for parents, including those with school-aged children, embedded in both schools and communities.

Lower-income families are less likely to feel their local neighbourhoods are safe and supportive, pointing to the need for measures to support community development and to enhance local social capital in disadvantaged areas.