THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Living in a damp or moldy home is associated with a higher risk of depression, according to a recent study reported online Aug. 29 in the American Journal of Public Health.
Edmond D. Shenassa, Sc.D., of the Brown School of Medicine in Providence, R.I., and colleagues based their findings on data from 5,882 adults in 2,982 households in France, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland and Lithuania. An interviewer assessed conditions in each home and surveyed respondents about their physical health, sense of control over their homes and symptoms of depression.
Respondents with exposure to mold or dampness in their homes had an increased likelihood of depression (odds ratio for moderate exposure was 1.44 compared to no exposure). Results indicated that a perceived lack of control over the housing conditions, as well as physical ailments that could be related to mold exposure, may also lead to the development of depression.
"The cross-sectional design of our study does not allow inference regarding causality," the authors write. "Although earlier works argue against the hypothesis that those in emotional dire straits drift toward poor housing, it is possible that depressed individuals tend to their home in a manner that allows mold growth." However, they add, "if the association proves to be causal, the mechanism will likely involve the psychological and physiological consequences of living in poor housing conditions and potentially a direct pathological effect of mold."
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