MENTAL-HEALTH FUNCTIONING AND COMMUNITY PROBLEMS

This paper examines the relationship between self-reported mental heal th functioning and perceived community problems. Using linear regressi on and principal components analysis on data from a community survey o f 1,826 residents, we find that mental health functioning is inversely related to perceptions Of specific types of community problems such a s poverty, racism, unemployment, and domestic violence. Individuals wh o live in geographic areas that have higher levels of these types of s ocial problems are more likely to have low mental health functioning. We suggest that the quality of the larger community affects health by ifs impact on social relationships and on stress, and present a theore tical basis for understanding the importance of community. (C) 1997 Jo hn Wiley & Sons, Inc.