What are the influences on mental health care?

For those of us who struggle with a mental health challenge, understanding what’s behind our particular struggle can be complex. There are so many factors that have an impact on our mental health, including genetics, family history, childhood experiences — and even big societal issues like violence, discrimination or poverty. And how those factors affect us can change over time.

While some of these factors can’t be easily changed or addressed — like a genetic predisposition towards a mental health issue – it can help to understand underlying issues that contribute to challenges we’re currently facing. And for underlying causes that are within our control to address or change, it’s helpful to understand them and see we can play a more active role in taking care of our mental health.

It’s the classic “nature vs. nurture” argument: Is our mental health shaped by our genes, or as a result of our choices and experiences? In reality, much like our physical health, science tells us that our mental health is influenced by both our biology and our life experiences.

Genetics and Family History Shape Our Mental Health Early

Biology and family history do play an important role in our mental health over the course of our lives. People can be genetically predisposed to mental health conditions like depression or anxiety disorders. If someone in our family has struggled with one or more mental health challenges, like depression or anxiety, it may increase the likelihood that we will struggle too.

Family history isn’t just about genetics. Our family typically models for us how to handle stress. Watching how people close to us manage (or avoid) emotions and emotionally charged situations can shape our own responses, sometimes well before we are aware of it! For example, we might grow up in a family where people aren’t open about the mental health challenges they’ve experienced — or we’re taught not to complain when we are struggling with our mental health.

These outlooks and behaviors that we learn from our families can shape how we cope with stress and how proactive we are about addressing mental health struggles. Research has shown that learning self-care techniques and healthy coping mechanisms early on may lessen the impact of mental health challenges later in life.

Nurture goes beyond the way our families care for us when we’re young. It includes every aspect of our environment, from where we live to the cultural message we receive; from the friends we make to how we stay connected to them; from stressors in our everyday lives to major societal issues. All of these can impact our mental health.

Our Early Conditions are Critical

Our family plays a powerful role in shaping our environment during our childhoods. When traumatic things happen to us, our families, or our communities – especially in our early or teenage years — they can shape how we see the world, how we respond to stress, and whether we have the chance to thrive. For example, growing up in a chaotic household, in an unsafe neighborhood or being exposed to chronic discrimination can lead to stress that impacts us physically, mentally, and emotionally later in life.

Our Support Network: Quality Over Quantity

Our ability to respond to the challenges of daily life is also influenced by having people around us who we can rely on as a support network. Research shows that a strong support network — or even having at least one person with whom we can share your feelings openly, without fear of judgment — protects our mental (and physical!) health.

In today’s social media-driven world, many people equate having a “network” with having a large number of followers. But most of these relationships are not strong enough to support us through difficult times. It’s important to focus on growing meaningful relationships with people with whom we feel like we can be our true selves.

Big societal and global issues can have a real impact on our mental health and well-being. The more chaos, instability, violence, discrimination or division we experience, the harder it is to maintain positive mental health. 

For example, research shows that exposure to climate-related natural disasters, like floods and wildfires, can lead to mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

What’s more, large-scale social issues that influence mental health are often compounded — the same research shows those who are at higher risk for experiencing mental health challenges after a natural disaster include people who are disadvantaged by their economic circumstances.

Our Identity: How Societal Problems Affect Us Differently

Social and political issues can have different effects on our mental health based on whether we are members of cultural or social minority groups and have experienced discrimination or prejudice.

For example, research shows that watching videos of police violence against Black Americans can impact Black people’s mental health for three months or more, compared to white respondents. Similarly, LGBTQ+ youth who are rejected by their families are 8.4 times more likely to have attempted suicide than those who are supported by their families.

How we identify culturally can also influence the beliefs we hold about seeking help for mental health challenges. For example, research shows that Black and Indigenous people are more likely to grow up in households with a negative view of therapy or talking about their feelings.

We can’t always change the factors that influence our mental health, but we can get support to make them more manageable. Many mental health professionals are trained to help us better understand our unique background, identity, and experiences that shape our mental health, and help us create a plan to care for well-being amidst the challenges we face.

If you are struggling with your mental health or an underlying cause of stress that you’ve read about here, text START to 741741 or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) any time to have a free, confidential conversation with a trained counselor.

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If you or someone you know needs to talk to someone right now, text HOME to 741-741 or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for a free confidential conversation with a trained counselor 24/7. 

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, text or call 988.

If this is a medical emergency or if there is immediate danger of harm, call 911 and explain that you need support for a mental health crisis.

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Page 2

Selected interventions targeting social determinants of mental health

InterventionObjectiveCharacteristics of the
intervention
ParticipantsOutcome VariablesMain Results
Family, Household and Working Life Interventions
Housing First
[61]
Combine HousingFirst with assertivecommunity treatmentto assist people withserious mental illness

to exit homelessness

Housing First=homeless assistanceprogram, prioritizesproviding permanenthousing before getting ajob or addressingmental health/substance use

symptoms

Randomized control trial with 50 homeless participants with serious mental

illness

Housing stability
Community functioning
Housing First participants spent more time in stable housing, entered housing more quickly, rated the quality of their housing more positively, reported higher quality of

life

Housing First
[64]
Compare mental health service use among individuals who received Housing First vs.

standard care

See aboveMulti-site randomized controlled trial with 2039 severely mental ill and homeless

participants

Reported service use
over 24 months
Housing first program decreased use of inpatient psychiatric hospitals and

increased use of food banks

Housing Stability and Food Insecurity

[65]

Identify trends in food insecurity by main source of income and housing tenure; determine the impact of one-time increase in social assistance on food

insecurity

Social assistance in Canada= income supplements, healthcare costs and childcare expenses paid for, available for low-income individuals who meet eligibility

requirements

Data from Canadian Community Health Survey, 2005 to 2012; Canadian population aged 12

and over

Household food insecurity over the prior

12 months

Overall and moderate food insecurity declined among households on social assistance, but severe food insecurity

remained unchanged

SNAP Program for Food

Insecurity [22]

Examine the associations between household food security and depression and whether these differed by SNAP

participation

SNAP= Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, provides nutrition assistance to millions of low-income individuals and families and provides economic

benefits to communities

3518 adults with household incomes ≤130% of the federal poverty

level

Food insecurity was assessed with the US Household Food Security Survey Module; depression assessed with the 9-item Patient Health

Questionnaire

The overall prevalence of depression was 9.3%, ranging from 6.7% among SNAP nonparticipants to 12.8% among SNAP participants; higher prevalence was

observed with worsening food insecurity

SNAP Program for Food

Insecurity [66]

Investigate the impact of change in SNAP participation status on maternal depression and on perception of government

assistance

See aboveFragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, N= 256 SNAP-eligible mothers who changed SNAP participation

& depression status

Perceptions of government assistance defined as feelings of humiliation or loss of freedom and tested for interactions with SNAP

participation

Those with positive perceptions of welfare had 0.27 times lower odds of depression when enrolled; for those with negative perceptions of welfare, SNAP enrollment

was not associated with depression

Community Level Programs
Communities
That Care [76]
Determine whether the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention system is a cost-beneficial

intervention

Communities That Care= community mobilization strategy intended to produce community-wide reductions in youth substance use, delinquency, and

violence

Longitudinal panel of 4,407 youth participating in a randomized controlled trial including 24 towns

in 7 states

Alcohol and tobacco use, delinquency rates, long-term cost savings

estimation

CTC produced $4,477 in benefits per youth and cost $556 per youth to implement CTC for 5 years—the net present benefit was $3,920, the benefit-

cost ratio was $8.22 per dollar invested

Bridge to Better Health and

Wellness [78]

Examine the feasibility, acceptability, and initial impact of the intervention

(B2BHW)

B2BHW= a culturally-adapted health care manager intervention delivered by community health workers for Hispanics with serious mental

illness

34 Hispanics with SMI and at risk for cardiovascular

disease

Examine changes over 12-months on patient activation, self-efficacy, quality of care, receipt of preventive primary care services, and

quality of life

Significant improvements were found for patient activation, self-efficacy, patients’ ratings of quality of care, and receipt of

preventive primary care

Policy Level Programs
Urban Planning
[70]
Explore the association between green space and depression in a deprived, multiethnic sample of pregnant

women

Green spaces such as parks and gardens around homes, schools, and workplaces have mental and physical health benefits: provide a peaceful place to play, relax, study, or exercise, as well as a

social gathering place

7547 women recruited to the ‘Born in Bradford’

cohort 

Depressive symptoms; 2 green space measures—quintiles of greenness and access to

major green spaces

Pregnant women in the greener quintiles were 18–23% less likely to report depressive symptoms than those in the least green quintile; significant for women

who had lower education or were active

Urban Planning
[71]
Examined the influence of parks on comprehensive measures of subjective wellbeing

at the city level

See above2014 data from 44 U.S. cities, from a variety of secondary data sources (e.g., Gallup, Trust for Public Land, U.S.

Census Bureau).

Urban park quantity, quality and self-reported scores on the Gallup-Healthways 1Wellbeing Index

(WBI),

Park quantity was among the strongest predictors of overall wellbeing; the strength of park quality and accessibility

were positively associated with wellbeing

Universal Primary Health Care Access

[81]

Analyze cross-national results of self-reported health and the prevalence of material hardship for adults, which can lead to poor mental

health

U.S. has lack of accessible, comprehensive care for all people; material hardship= an inadequate consumption of goods or services minimally necessary for decent

human functioning

Data from a 2016 telephone survey conducted in 11 countries for noninstitutionalized adults ages 18 and

older

Existence of chronic conditions, coping ability, daily life functioning, financial hardship and emotional

well-being

US adults who reported poor emotional wellbeing were most likely to experience material hardship; in all countries, shortfalls in patient engagement and

chronic care management were reported

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

[67]

Study the impact of the EITC on various measures of

subjective well-being

EITC= Earned Income Tax Credit, a refundable tax credit for low- to moderate-income working individuals and couples; the benefit depends on a recipient’s income and number of

children

Use the National Survey of Families and Households, first wave N=13,007 adults, second wave

N= 10,005 adults

Depression measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, Evaluative well-being is measured using happiness and self-

esteem questions

The EITC expansion generated well-being improvements; decreased depression, increased happiness and self-esteem for married women compared to unmarried

women