Mental Health Promotion in a Poorly Functioning Neighbourhood: What can we Learn from an Unsuccessful Project?

Abstract

The object of the study described was to evaluate the effect of a local environment project which aimed to improve mental health by strengthening social integration. An attempt was made to motivate municipal authorities and politicians concerned with housing to alter structural background factors affecting well-being and develop general contact-creating activities and special supportive measures in the local environment. The study is a pretest/post-test design. The pre-test included 92 people and the post-test included 40 people who were still living in the housing estate at the end of the project. The results showed a significant improvement in integration, but no corresponding improvement in mental health. Participation in contact-creating activities affected neither social integration nor mental health, and the results indicate that inhabitants with considerable mental problems did not take part. Background factors related to wellbeing, such as leisure activities, meeting places and kindergartens, had improved, while instability in the local environment and housing costs had deteriorated.

Keywords:

• mental health
• social integration
• social network
• local environment
• mental health promotion