Impact of environment on adolescent mental health and behavior: Structural equation modeling

This study uses structural equation models to describe how objective neighborhood, perceived neighborhood, and environmental support predict mental health; 792 adolescents responded to highly structured interviews. The effect of objective environment on mental health was mediated through its influence on perceived neighborhood. Environmental support mitigated negative perceptions of environment and the effect of perceived environment on mental health, while exposure to violence augmented the negative effect of perceived environment.