Insomnia symptoms were identified as an important pathway through which perceived neighborhood danger undermines mental health in older adults, accounting for 25.8% of the total effect.
Perceived neighborhood danger was significantly associated with depressive symptoms in older adults after controlling for sociodemographic and health covariates.
Insomnia symptoms were significantly associated with depressive symptoms in older adults after controlling for covariates.
Insomnia symptoms partially mediated the relationship between perceived neighborhood danger and depressive symptoms in older adults.
Environmental stressors such as perceived neighborhood danger were conceptualized as compromising sleep health, which in turn affects mental health outcomes.
This research suggests that feeling unsafe in one's neighborhood is linked to higher rates of depression among older adults, and that sleep problems play an important role in explaining this connection. Using data from over 2,200 adults aged 65 and older, the researchers found that people who perceived their neighborhoods as dangerous were more likely to experience both insomnia symptoms and depressive symptoms. Importantly, the sleep problems themselves appeared to partially explain why neighborhood danger leads to depression, accounting for about one-quarter of that total relationship. This research suggests that the path from neighborhood fear to depression is not entirely direct — a meaningful portion of the harm to mental health works by first disrupting sleep. Specifically, about 25.8% of the effect of perceived neighborhood danger on depression was transmitted through insomnia symptoms. This finding held up even after accounting for other factors like age, health status, and sociodemographic characteristics. For older adults in particular, this research suggests that neighborhood safety perceptions may affect wellbeing in ways that ripple through multiple aspects of daily life, including sleep quality. Addressing sleep problems in older adults who live in or perceive their neighborhoods as dangerous may be one avenue worth exploring in efforts to support mental health in this population. The findings also point to the potential value of neighborhood-level interventions aimed at improving feelings of safety among older residents.
Choi S, Jang Y. (2026). The mediating role of insomnia symptoms in the association between perceived neighborhood danger and depressive symptoms in later life.. PloS one. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0348576