About this Research Topic
Safety, ranking just after physiological needs like food and shelter in the process towards improved well-being and self-actualization, is deemed a fundamental mental health (or psychological) requirement. Thus, fostering a sense of safety could serve as a cornerstone for fulfilling those higher emotional needs (Mouratidis, 2019). Various studies indicate that perceiving safety positively correlates with better health outcomes, particularly in close neighborhoods (Baum et al., 2009; Chandola, 2001; Macintyre & Ellaway, 2000). Conversely, residing in unsafe neighborhoods consistently correlates with diminished mental and physical health and reduced well-being among inhabitants. Concerns about crime and overall feelings of safety are linked to heightened stress levels, increased depressive symptoms, deteriorating mental health (Lorenc et al., 2012; Wilson-Genderson & Pruchno, 2013), poorer self-assessed health (Putrik et al., 2015), elevated risk of coronary heart disease, decreased physical activity (Rees-Punia et al., 2018), and even adverse birth outcomes (Messer et al., 2006).
Neighborhood safety is frequently antonymous with the risk of encountering danger close to one’s home, whereby communities with minimal danger are typically perceived as secure. On the contrary, areas marked by elevated levels of crime and violence are commonly viewed as unsafe (Zuberi, 2018). The safety of one's neighborhood is closely tied to individuals’ health and well-being. As such, residing in a neighborhood perceived as unsafe correlates with adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Consequently, a sense of safety is associated with enhanced well-being (Farver et al., 2000), whereas feelings of insecurity could result in degraded psychological health, social isolation, restricted personal freedom, and diminished trust (Shuval et al., 2012). Negative perceptions of the neighborhood—such as limited access to green spaces, and reduced walkability, and overall feelings of insecurity, —are further linked to depression, anxiety (Ellaway et al., 2009), and both physiological and self-reported heightened stress levels (Abraham et al., 2010).
However, factors influencing perceptions of neighborhood safety are still understudied. Specifically, it remains unclear which types of threats contribute to feelings of insecurity or what contextual elements foster a sense of safety, despite exposure to these threats. For instance, personal experiences of victimization, or knowing someone who has been a victim seems to directly lower feelings of safety (Austin & Furr,2002). Additional studies suggest that neighborhood socioeconomic status (Orr et al., 2003), and levels of violence (Farver et al., 2000) could also influence perceptions of safety.
Despite the importance of the construct of neighborhood safety in people’s daily lives, only a few studies have examined safety perceptions, especially in Middle Eastern societies, low-income countries, and vulnerable populations perspectives, notably in objectively more dangerous neighborhoods. More recent data seems to highlight protective factors, like social support, that could mitigate the adverse impacts of violence for individuals residing in such neighborhoods (Clampet–Lundquist, 2010). Yet these studies predominantly focus on adults within Western societies; and as such warrant broadening our scientific knowledge on psychological factors that shape our neighborhoods safety (personal and contextual factors) and on how to bolster the impact of neighborhoods unsafety on mental and physical health in the aforementioned settings specifically.
Geopsychiatry is a novel subfield that has generated growing traction and attention towards the impact of location on a range of health results and the explanation of health disparities (Martin et al., 2022). In the realm of mental health, spatial patterning has long been noted in the incidence of suicide (Kaufman et al., 2010) and psychosis (March et al., 2008), and more recently various neighborhoods-level exposures have been found to influence these outcomes (Rehkopf & Buka, 2006). Thus, adverse perceptions of one's neighborhood (such as heightened perceptions of crime or feelings of unsafety) have been linked to depression, anxiety (Ellaway et al., 2009), as well as both physiological and self-reported stress levels (Abraham et al., 2010). It's worth noting that the majority of research in this area has focused on urban settings in Western countries, primarily among the general population, overlooking rural areas, specific demographic groups, and Eastern countries, particularly amidst the escalation of crimes, conflicts, and wars in spaces on the lower socioeconomic edge of the spectrum.
As many countries around the world continue to experience escalating episodes of war, armed violence, and chronic conflict, this topic becomes all the more timely. In these fragile settings, relinquishing governmental and municipal authority in attending to basic services might constitute a fertile ground for increased radicalization and terrorism. Additionally, given that nearly two-thirds of the world’s poor are projected to live in conflict-affected countries by 2030, it becomes of utmost importance to better investigate the preliminary links between safety (or lack thereof), conflict, poverty, crime, and medical and mental illness. In this context, understanding the intricate nature of neighborhood safety could emerge as a promising approach to addressing exponentially increasing mental health challenges. Simultaneously, it could inform policymakers to grasp the interdisciplinarity safety and its connection to well-being, with considerable benefits for improved public health outcomes. Consequently, understanding the underlying factors contributing to negative safety perceptions would be crucial for implementing targeted interventions aimed at enhancing community safety perceptions and fostering long-term health improvements.
This Research Topic is looking to include original empirical research, reviews, or short communication around “Unsafe Neighborhood and Physical/Mental Health Difficulties”. In this collection, we aim to examine the factors that shape neighborhood safety (personal and contextual factors) and impact of neighborhood unsafety on mental and physical health in Eastern societies, low-income countries, or vulnerable populations.
Neighborhood safety is frequently antonymous with the risk of encountering danger close to one’s home, whereby communities with minimal danger are typically perceived as secure. On the contrary, areas marked by elevated levels of crime and violence are commonly viewed as unsafe (Zuberi, 2018). The safety of one's neighborhood is closely tied to individuals’ health and well-being. As such, residing in a neighborhood perceived as unsafe correlates with adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Consequently, a sense of safety is associated with enhanced well-being (Farver et al., 2000), whereas feelings of insecurity could result in degraded psychological health, social isolation, restricted personal freedom, and diminished trust (Shuval et al., 2012). Negative perceptions of the neighborhood—such as limited access to green spaces, and reduced walkability, and overall feelings of insecurity, —are further linked to depression, anxiety (Ellaway et al., 2009), and both physiological and self-reported heightened stress levels (Abraham et al., 2010).
However, factors influencing perceptions of neighborhood safety are still understudied. Specifically, it remains unclear which types of threats contribute to feelings of insecurity or what contextual elements foster a sense of safety, despite exposure to these threats. For instance, personal experiences of victimization, or knowing someone who has been a victim seems to directly lower feelings of safety (Austin & Furr,2002). Additional studies suggest that neighborhood socioeconomic status (Orr et al., 2003), and levels of violence (Farver et al., 2000) could also influence perceptions of safety.
Despite the importance of the construct of neighborhood safety in people’s daily lives, only a few studies have examined safety perceptions, especially in Middle Eastern societies, low-income countries, and vulnerable populations perspectives, notably in objectively more dangerous neighborhoods. More recent data seems to highlight protective factors, like social support, that could mitigate the adverse impacts of violence for individuals residing in such neighborhoods (Clampet–Lundquist, 2010). Yet these studies predominantly focus on adults within Western societies; and as such warrant broadening our scientific knowledge on psychological factors that shape our neighborhoods safety (personal and contextual factors) and on how to bolster the impact of neighborhoods unsafety on mental and physical health in the aforementioned settings specifically.
Geopsychiatry is a novel subfield that has generated growing traction and attention towards the impact of location on a range of health results and the explanation of health disparities (Martin et al., 2022). In the realm of mental health, spatial patterning has long been noted in the incidence of suicide (Kaufman et al., 2010) and psychosis (March et al., 2008), and more recently various neighborhoods-level exposures have been found to influence these outcomes (Rehkopf & Buka, 2006). Thus, adverse perceptions of one's neighborhood (such as heightened perceptions of crime or feelings of unsafety) have been linked to depression, anxiety (Ellaway et al., 2009), as well as both physiological and self-reported stress levels (Abraham et al., 2010). It's worth noting that the majority of research in this area has focused on urban settings in Western countries, primarily among the general population, overlooking rural areas, specific demographic groups, and Eastern countries, particularly amidst the escalation of crimes, conflicts, and wars in spaces on the lower socioeconomic edge of the spectrum.
As many countries around the world continue to experience escalating episodes of war, armed violence, and chronic conflict, this topic becomes all the more timely. In these fragile settings, relinquishing governmental and municipal authority in attending to basic services might constitute a fertile ground for increased radicalization and terrorism. Additionally, given that nearly two-thirds of the world’s poor are projected to live in conflict-affected countries by 2030, it becomes of utmost importance to better investigate the preliminary links between safety (or lack thereof), conflict, poverty, crime, and medical and mental illness. In this context, understanding the intricate nature of neighborhood safety could emerge as a promising approach to addressing exponentially increasing mental health challenges. Simultaneously, it could inform policymakers to grasp the interdisciplinarity safety and its connection to well-being, with considerable benefits for improved public health outcomes. Consequently, understanding the underlying factors contributing to negative safety perceptions would be crucial for implementing targeted interventions aimed at enhancing community safety perceptions and fostering long-term health improvements.
This Research Topic is looking to include original empirical research, reviews, or short communication around “Unsafe Neighborhood and Physical/Mental Health Difficulties”. In this collection, we aim to examine the factors that shape neighborhood safety (personal and contextual factors) and impact of neighborhood unsafety on mental and physical health in Eastern societies, low-income countries, or vulnerable populations.
Keywords: Unsafety, Neighborhood, Mental Health, Perceived Safety
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
