Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) found that urbanization is associated with a higher prevalence of depression in developed countries, but not in developing countries. The study was published on: Journal of Affective Disorders.
The review authors analyzed evidence from high-quality studies linking the prevalence of depression to levels of urbanization. According to the UN 2022 report categories, they divided the countries into developing and developed.
Scientists found that living in a city in developed countries (USA, UK, Canada, Sweden, France and Japan) increases the likelihood of depression by 1.37 times. However, they did not find a significant effect of urbanization on depression in developing countries (China, India, South Korea and Nigeria).
More research is needed to determine the reasons for the higher prevalence of depression in urban populations. One possible explanation is that people with depression living in villages do not receive qualified help, so they are not included in official statistics. It is also possible that urban living is associated with a greater risk of depression due to social inequality, economic insecurity, pollution and lack of contact with nature.
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