Housing quality and mental health

This study examined the potential link between housing quality and mental h ealth. First, the development of a psychometrically sound, observer-based i nstrument to assess physical housing quality in ways conceptually relevant to psychological health is reported. Then 2 different studies, including a prospective longitudinal design, demonstrate that physical housing quality predicts mental health. Possible underlying psychosocial processes for the housing quality-psychological distress link are discussed.