Constant exposure to road noise increases the risk of depression and anxiety.
Constant noise from roads and railways near homes may increase the risk of depression and anxiety disorders, a large Finnish study has shown. The work was published in the journal Environmental Research (ER).
Researchers analyzed information about more than 114,000 residents of the Helsinki region, born between 1987 and 1998, and tracked their health from adolescence into adulthood. For each participant, the researchers modeled the level of road and railway noise at their place of residence and compared it with diagnoses of depression and anxiety recorded in medical databases.
The results showed that at a transportation noise level above 53 decibels — a threshold previously designated by WHO as potentially harmful — the risk of depression and anxiety disorders significantly increased. Each additional increase in noise by 10 dB was associated with a further rise in risk. These associations remained even after accounting for air pollution and the presence of green spaces.
The effect was more pronounced in men and among those whose families had no registered mental disorders in parents. According to the authors, the results indicate that chronic noise is not only a factor of discomfort but also a potential long-term risk to mental health that should be considered in urban planning and assessment of living conditions.
