Neighborhood disorder, exposure to violence, and perceived discrimination associated with midlife women's symptoms
This study adds to the literature linking neighborhood environment to health outcomes. The association between negative neighborhood conditions and discrimination with a variety of symptoms, as well as the association between social cohesion and low back pain, indicate the need to expand the analysis of stress to multiple physiological systems.
Gerber, LM, Sievert, LL Neighborhood disorders, exposure to violence, and perceived discrimination in relation to symptoms in midlife women. Midlife Health Womens 4, 14 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40695-018-0043-0
Commentary
Hot flashes, sleep disturbances, headaches, and mood swings are characteristic symptoms that occur during a person's midlife, and these are associated with stress. This study assessed and investigated the risk of symptoms associated with neighborhood disorder, exposure to neighborhood violence, social cohesion, and perceived discrimination. In other words, it was hypothesized that women exposed to more negative neighborhood characteristics and discrimination would be more likely to report blushing and other midlife symptoms. Participants were black and white women aged 40-60 years (n = 139). Ten symptoms were assessed in the analysis.
Results showed that Black women reported higher scores on all negative neighborhood characteristics and discrimination, and lower scores on positive neighborhood social cohesion and trust. These neighborhood disorders were found to be associated with depression, joint pain, stiffness, and hot flashes, and the effects of perceived violence were associated with joint pain and stiffness. In contrast, they also found that as neighborhood cohesion and trust scores increased, the risk of low back pain decreased.
This suggests that the symptoms experienced by women in midlife are partly due to changes in themselves, and partly due to stress caused by their neighbors. However, according to this study, the symptoms that were affected included "back pain".
