Examining air pollution (PM10), mental health and well-being in a representative German sample

Abstract

There is a growing debate on the role of the physical environment and what constitute risk and protective factors for mental health. Various forms of air pollution have shown links to physical and mental health concerns and considering that Germany does not meet the WHO air quality standards—poor air quality affects a large proportion of Germans and is more important now than ever. This study investigates the physical environmental factor, air pollution, measured by particulate matter of particles with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 10 µm (PM10) and effects on determinants of mental health and well-being (life satisfaction, stress resilience, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem). A representative sample of N = 3020 German adults with 54% females (46% males) and an age range between 18 and 92 years (M = 49.04, S.D. ± 17.27) was used. Multivariate linear regression analyses show that higher life satisfaction, more self-esteem and higher stress resilience are predicted by less air pollution (PM10). Individual income, age, and gender were taken into account for each regression model. Gender specific sub-analyses revealed similar predictions for PM10 and stress resilience whereas PM10 and self-esteem were only significantly associated for females. Associations between mental health or well-being determinants and air pollution (PM 10) are found in the representative German sample.