Victoria Sass, Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz, and Affiliates Investigate the Relationship Between Air Pollution and Psychological Distress
Posted: 10/10/2017 (CSDE Research)
CSDE trainee Victoria Sass, alumni fellow Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz, and colleagues (including CSDE affiliates Anjum Hajat and Kyle Crowder) recently authored a study that investigates the impacts of air pollution on psychological distress. The study, published in Health & Place, used nationally representative panel data to examine the connection between psychological stress and exposure to polluted air during the 1999-2011 period. The findings indicate that exposure to air pollution–specifically, PM 2.5 –is associated with an increased level of individual psychological distress, even when adjusted for demographic, health, and socioeconomic controls. The effects of air pollution on psychological outcomes do, however, vary by gender and race. The full study is available below.