Energy burden and mental health: A national study in the United States

Han, S., Hu, M., Gao, X., Huang, Y., Guo, F. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6415-8083, Shen, G., Wang, D., Lin, S., & Zhang, K. (2024). Energy burden and mental health: A national study in the United States. Science of the Total Environment e176796. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176796. (In Press)

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Abstract

The prevalence of mental health issues in the US has significantly risen over the past decade, and it is presumably linked to an energy burden issue that has recently gained attention as a critical social determinant of mental health. Utilizing extensive nationwide datasets at the census tract, we found that the census tract level energy burden is positively associated with two key mental health indicators even after accounting for living, housing, and sociodemographic characteristics: the prevalence of frequent mental distress and physician-diagnosed depression, across all US urban areas. We also observe that these associations are consistent across various climate regions. The findings highlight that energy burden has a detrimental impact on mental health, and that it should be e considered a significant social determinant of health in future studies. Lastly, our study advocates for national policies to achieve energy justice and address disparities in mental health.

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