Association of outdoor artificial light at night with mental health among China adults: a prospective ecology study

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Nov;29(54):82286-82296. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-21587-y. Epub 2022 Jun 25.

Abstract

Multiple environmental changes are related to mental disorders. However, research on the association between artificial light at night (ALAN) and mental health in China is limited, particularly at the national level. We used a "difference-in-differences" design and logistic regression to explore the relationship between ALAN changes and scores on self-assessed mental health. Participants were drawn from the China Family Panel Studies of adults in 2012 and 2018. The final analysis was based on 21,036 adults from 25 provinces throughout China. The brighter the ALAN, the worse was the mental health, and this connection was unaffected by particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) or temperature. ALAN sensitivity may differ among populations. Our findings suggest that exposure to brighter ALAN is associated significantly with worse mental health among Chinese adults. Environmental policies that reduce ALAN could improve the mental health of the Chinese public.

Keywords: CFPS; China adults; environmental risk factors; mental disorders; outdoor artificial light at night; prospective ecology study.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • China
  • Humans
  • Light
  • Light Pollution*
  • Mental Health*
  • Particulate Matter / analysis
  • Prospective Studies

Substances

  • Particulate Matter