Pathways and contingencies linking road traffic noise to annoyance, noise sensitivity, and mental Ill-Health

• Published in: Noise & health 2019-11, Vol.21 (103), p.248-257
• Main Authors: Dzhambov, Angel, Tilov, Boris, Makakova-Tilova, Desislava, Dimitrova, Donka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety - psychology; Anxiety disorders; Auditory Perception; Bulgaria - epidemiology; depression; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - psychology; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Female; Humans; Land use; Low noise; Male; Mediation; Mental depression; Mental health; noise exposure; Noise levels; noise perception; Noise sensitivity; Noise, Transportation - adverse effects; Original; perceived control psychoacoustics; Regression models; Students; Traffic; Transportation noise; Undergraduate study; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1463-1741; 1998-4030; 1998-4030
• DOI: 10.4103/nah.NAH_15_20

Context: Traffic noise may contribute to depression and anxiety through higher noise annoyance (NA). However, little is known about noise sensitivity (NS) and mental health status as contextual factors. Objective: We tested three hypotheses: (1) Traffic noise is associated with mental ill-health through higher NA; (2) Mental ill-health and NS moderate the association between traffic noise and NA; and (3) NS moderates the indirect effect of traffic noise on mental ill-health. Subjects and Methods: We used a convenience sample of 437 undergraduate students from the Medical University in Plovdiv, Bulgaria (mean age 21 years; 35% male). Residential road traffic noise (LAeq; day equivalent noise level) was calculated using a land use regression model. Depression and anxiety symptoms were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale, respectively. NA was measured using a 5-point verbal scale. The Noise Sensitivity Scale Short Form (NSS-SF) was used to measure NS. To investigate how these variables intertwine, we conducted mediation, moderation and moderated mediation analyses. Results: LAeq was indirectly associated with higher PHQ-9/GAD-7 scores through higher NA, but only in the low NS group. The relationship between LAeq and NA was stronger in students reporting depression/anxiety. While high NS was associated with high NA even at low noise levels, LAeq contributed to NA only in students low on NS. Conclusions: We found complex conditional relationships between traffic noise, annoyance and mental ill-health. Understanding respective vulnerability profiles within the community could aid noise policy and increase efficacy of interventions.