How COVID-19 Policy Shift Affects Mental Wellbeing? Assessing the Effect Heterogeneity of Urban Water Body Exposures

IF 1.9 4区社会学 Q3 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy Pub Date : 2025-07-21 DOI:10.1007/s12061-025-09686-y

Longfeng Wu, Jie Zhang, Chenjie Jia, ChengHe Guan

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, increased exposure to water bodies positively impacted residents’ mental health in densely populated urban areas under lockdown. However, the effects during the transition from strict lockdown to reopening within this context remain understudied. This study employed a Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD) with a dataset (N = 2,545) from Beijing and Shanghai to investigate the impact of the COVID containment policy on mental health proxied by Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), self-rated happiness and health. Subgroup analyses examined the variation in effects based on exposure to water bodies. The findings confirm that the policy adjustment did not significantly promote residents’ mental health. Proximity to water bodies also showed no significant effect. Residents without waterfront spaces visits presented higher CES-D scores after the policy change, whereas visual exposure to water bodies through home windows significantly lowered CES-D scores. However, residents visited parks with high-quality water features reported poorer self-rated health (SRH), while those without such exposure experienced increased self-assessed happiness after the policy intervention. These findings underscore the crucial role of different urban water bodies in buffering the mental impacts during major policy changes, highlighting their significance in urban planning and promoting well-being promotion strategies.

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COVID-19政策转变如何影响心理健康？城市水体暴露影响异质性评价

在2019冠状病毒病大流行期间，在被封锁的人口稠密的城市地区，更多地接触水体对居民的心理健康产生了积极影响。然而，在这种背景下，从严格封锁到重新开放的过渡期间的影响仍未得到充分研究。本研究采用回归不连续设计（RDD）方法，对北京和上海的数据集（N = 2545）进行分析，以流行病学研究中心抑郁量表（CES-D）、自评幸福感和健康状况为指标，探讨疫情防控政策对心理健康的影响。亚组分析检查了暴露于水体的不同影响。研究结果证实，政策调整并未显著促进居民心理健康。靠近水体也没有明显的影响。没有去过滨水空间的居民在政策改变后的CES-D得分较高，而通过家庭窗户接触水体的居民的CES-D得分显著降低。然而，在有高质量水景的公园里，居民的自评健康（SRH）较差，而在政策干预后，没有这些水景的人的自评幸福指数有所提高。这些发现强调了不同城市水体在重大政策变化期间缓冲心理影响的关键作用，突出了它们在城市规划和促进福祉促进战略中的重要性。

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来源期刊

Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy Multiple-

CiteScore

3.80

自引率

5.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： Description The journal has an applied focus: it actively promotes the importance of geographical research in real world settings It is policy-relevant: it seeks both a readership and contributions from practitioners as well as academics The substantive foundation is spatial analysis: the use of quantitative techniques to identify patterns and processes within geographic environments The combination of these points, which are fully reflected in the naming of the journal, establishes a unique position in the marketplace. RationaleA geographical perspective has always been crucial to the understanding of the social and physical organisation of the world around us. The techniques of spatial analysis provide a powerful means for the assembly and interpretation of evidence, and thus to address critical questions about issues such as crime and deprivation, immigration and demographic restructuring, retailing activity and employment change, resource management and environmental improvement. Many of these issues are equally important to academic research as they are to policy makers and Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy aims to close the gap between these two perspectives by providing a forum for discussion of applied research in a range of different contexts Topical and interdisciplinaryIncreasingly government organisations, administrative agencies and private businesses are requiring research to support their ‘evidence-based’ strategies or policies. Geographical location is critical in much of this work which extends across a wide range of disciplines including demography, actuarial sciences, statistics, public sector planning, business planning, economics, epidemiology, sociology, social policy, health research, environmental management. FocusApplied Spatial Analysis and Policy will draw on applied research from diverse problem domains, such as transport, policing, education, health, environment and leisure, in different international contexts. The journal will therefore provide insights into the variations in phenomena that exist across space, it will provide evidence for comparative policy analysis between domains and between locations, and stimulate ideas about the translation of spatial analysis methods and techniques across varied policy contexts. It is essential to know how to measure, monitor and understand spatial distributions, many of which have implications for those with responsibility to plan and enhance the society and the environment in which we all exist. Readership and Editorial BoardAs a journal focused on applications of methods of spatial analysis, Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy will be of interest to scholars and students in a wide range of academic fields, to practitioners in government and administrative agencies and to consultants in private sector organisations. The Editorial Board reflects the international and multidisciplinary nature of the journal.