Urban Annoyances and Mental Health in the City of Lahore, Pakistan

ABSTRACT:

Lahore has undergone rapid urbanization in recent decades. Population growth has far exceeded carrying capacity of municipal infrastructure, causing stress. We conducted a survey to assess citizens’ responses to urban annoyances and prevalence of depression, loss of self-esteem, and loss of resilience. An 84-item questionnaire was used to interview a sample of 370 respondents. Statistical analyses included correlations, ANOVA, factor analysis, and Multiple Regression Analysis. Results showed that respondents were disturbed by urban annoyances. Those disturbed were also depressed, had low self-esteem, low resilience, and an external locus of control. Depression was strongly affected by education, population density, and household congestion. We concluded that a degraded urban environment has caused psychological stress among citizens as reflected in the prevalence of depression, loss of self-esteem, and low resilience. There is an urgent need for strategic planning aimed at checking unbridled urban growth, improving civic services, and ensuring better mental health of citizens.

Notes

1 People from different backgrounds—officials of banks, government and private organizations, industry workers, university teachers, and graduate and postgraduate university students—were interviewed for the survey. These people participated in the survey on a voluntary basis.