Background

Road-traffic noise can induce stress, which may contribute to mental health disorders. Mental health problems have not received much attention in noise research. People perceive noise differently, which may affect the extent to which noise contributes to poor mental health at the individual level. This paper aims to assess the relationships between outdoor traffic noise and noise annoyance and the use of psychotropic medication.

Methods

We conducted a survey to assess noise annoyance and psychotropic medication among residents of the Helsinki Capital Region of Finland. We also assessed the associations of annoyance and road-traffic noise with sleep disorders, anxiety and depression. Respondents were randomly sampled from the Finnish Population registry, and data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Outdoor traffic noise was modelled using the Nordic prediction model. Associations between annoyance and modelled façade-noise levels with mental health outcome indicators were assessed using a binary logistic regression while controlling for socioeconomic, lifestyle and exposure-related factors.

Results

A total of 7321 respondents returned completed questionnaires. Among the study respondents, 15%, 7% and 7% used sleep medication, anxiolytic and antidepressant medications, respectively, in the year preceding the study. Noise annoyance was associated with anxiolytic drug use, OR = 1.41 (95% CI: 1.02–1.95), but not with sedative or antidepressant use. There was suggestive association between modelled noise at levels higher than 60 dB and anxiolytic or antidepressant use. In respondents whose bedroom windows faced the street, modelled noise was definitively associated with antidepressant use. Noise sensitivity did not modify the effect of noise but was associated with an increased use of psychotropic medication.

Conclusion

We observed suggestive associations between high levels of road-traffic noise and psychotropic medication use. Noise sensitivity was associated with psychotropic medication use.

中文翻译：

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交通噪音，噪音烦恼和使用精神药物

背景

道路交通噪音会引起压力，这可能会导致心理健康障碍。心理健康问题在噪声研究中并未受到太多关注。人们对噪声的理解不同，这可能会影响噪声对个人心理健康的影响程度。本文旨在评估室外交通噪声与噪声烦恼以及使用精神药物之间的关系。

方法

我们进行了一项调查，以评估芬兰赫尔辛基首都地区居民的噪音烦恼和精神药物。我们还评估了烦恼和道路交通噪音与睡眠障碍，焦虑和抑郁的关联。从芬兰人口登记处随机抽取受访者，并使用自我管理的调查表收集数据。使用Nordic预测模型对室外交通噪音进行建模。在控制社会经济，生活方式和与暴露相关的因素的同时，使用二元logistic回归评估烦恼与建模的外观噪声水平与心理健康结果指标之间的关联。

结果

共有7321名受访者返回了已完成的问卷。在研究受访者中，在研究前一年分别使用了睡眠药物，抗焦虑药和抗抑郁药15％，7％和7％。噪音烦恼与抗焦虑药的使用相关，OR = 1.41（95％CI：1.02-1.95），与镇静剂或抗抑郁药的使用无关。在高于60 dB的水平模拟噪声与抗焦虑药或抗抑郁药的使用之间存在暗示的关联。在卧室的窗户面向街道的受访者中，模型化的噪声与抗抑郁药的使用肯定相关。噪声敏感性不会改变噪声的影响，但与精神药物的使用增加有关。

结论

我们观察到高水平的道路交通噪音与精神药物的使用之间的暗示关联。噪声敏感性与精神药物的使用有关。