EFFECT OF HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS ON MENTAL HEALTH OF URBAN DWELLERS IN MINNA, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

This study focused on the effects of housing characteristics on mental health of urban dwellers in Minna. The study employed quantitative approach using 243 structured questionnaires administered through multi-stage sampling procedure to regrouped Minna 36 main residential areas into 10 main residential wards, while purposive sampling was used to select three (3) main wards, one from each density group (High, medium and low density).The study found out that the housing characteristics in the study areas shows that on neighbourhood basis, bungalow is the most predominant type of building in the study area with (31%). The study also assessed the mental health and well-being of the respondents in the study areas was examined by using General Health Questionnaire scheduled on a 4-point ordinal scale (0 to 3) with higher scores suggestive of more distress using twelve indicators (six positive and six negative). The mental health of residents was loaded as the dependent variable while types of building (0.030), wall material (0.268), roof material (0.096), age of building (0.095), ownership status (0.012), number of rooms (0.040), access to water (0.021), source of water (0.241), quality of water (0.408), toilet (0.039), condition of building (0.058) and environmental quality (0.040) was loaded as independent variables. The result shows that an R2 value of 0.37 was recorded for the analysis; that 37% of the mental health challenge of the residents is as a result of the housing characteristics of the residents. The analysis was significant at a p-value of 0.042 since the p-value is less than 0.05 acceptable at 95% confidence interval. The study also revealed that there is a statistically significant variation in the pattern of mental health stress experienced by the respondents in the three residential densities of low, medium, and high. Invariably, this also implies that neighbourhood characteristics contributes directly or indirectly to the level of mental stress experienced by the respondents. In conclusion, housing is not only the provision of physical shelter but also a complex source of the residents’ mental health and well-being. Hence the study recommends that the government, through its relevant authorities saddled with the responsibility must ensure that building standards are strictly adhered to in the process of constructing residential buildings. This will help alleviate some of the challenges faced by house users which ultimately affect their mental health.