Urban precarity and youth mental health: An interpretive scoping review of emerging approaches

Jessica Pykett; Niyah Campbell; Sarah-Jane Fenton; Elizabeth Gagen; Anna Lavis; Karen Newbigging; Verity Parkin; Jessy Williams; Members of the Institute for Mental Health Youth Advisory Group

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115619

Urban precarity and youth mental health: An interpretive scoping review of emerging approaches

Soc Sci Med. 2023 Mar:320:115619. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115619. Epub 2022 Dec 21.

Authors

Jessica Pykett¹, Niyah Campbell², Sarah-Jane Fenton³, Elizabeth Gagen⁴, Anna Lavis⁵, Karen Newbigging⁶, Verity Parkin⁷, Jessy Williams⁸; Members of the Institute for Mental Health Youth Advisory Group

Affiliations

¹ School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Institute for Mental Health and Centre for Urban Wellbeing, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ School of Social Policy and Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Llandinam Building, Penglais Campus, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DB, Wales, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Institute of Applied Health Research and Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ School of Social Policy and Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences Alumni, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁸ School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 36641884
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115619

Abstract

Circumstances of living are key to shaping emotional and affective experiences, long term health, wellbeing and opportunities. In an era characterised by rapid urbanisation across the majority of the world, there is increasing interest in the interaction between mental health and urban environments, but insufficient attention is paid to how mental health is situated in space and time. Socio-economic inequalities are prevalent in many urban environments globally, making conditions of living highly precarious for some social groups including young people. There remains a large volume of unmet mental health service needs, and young people are impacted by uncertain economic futures. The purpose of this scoping review is to develop an interdisciplinary and globally-informed understanding of the urban conditions which affect youth mental health across a range of scales, and to identify protective factors which can promote better youth mental health. We seek to broaden the scope of urban mental health research beyond the physical features of urban environments to develop an interpretive framework based on perspectives shared by young people. We illustrate how concepts from social theory can be used as an integrative framework to emphasise both young people's lived experiences and the wider cultural and political dynamics of urban mental health.

Keywords: Cities; Inequalities; Interdisciplinarity; Mental health; Scoping review; Social model; Social theory; Youth.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Emotions
Humans
Mental Health Services*
Mental Health*