Journal article
Variation in State-Level Eviction Moratorium Protections and Mental Health Among US Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic
JAMA network open, v 4(12), pp e2139585-e2139585
01 Dec 2021
PMID: 34919134
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Although evictions have been associated with adverse mental health outcomes, it remains unclear which stages of the eviction process are associated with mental distress among renters. Variation in COVID-19 pandemic eviction protections across US states enables identification of intervention targets within the eviction process to improve renters' mental health.
OBJECTIVE To measure the association between the strength of eviction protections (ie, stages blocked by eviction moratoriums) and mental distress among renters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cohort study used individual-level, nationally representative data from the Understanding Coronavirus in America Survey to measure associations between state eviction moratorium protections and mental distress. The sample of 2317 respondents included renters with annual household incomes less than $75 000 who reported a state of residence and completed surveys between March 10 and September 3, 2020, prior to the federal eviction moratorium order by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
EXPOSURES Time-varying strength of state moratorium protections as a categorical variable: none, weak (blocking court hearings, judgments, or enforcement without blocking notice or filing), or strong (blocking all stages of the eviction process beginning with notice and filing).
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Moderate to severe mental distress was measured using the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire. Linear regression models were adjusted for time-varying state COVID-19 incidence and mortality, public health restrictions, and unemployment rates. Models included individual and time fixed effects as well as clustered standard errors.
RESULTS The sample consisted of 2317 individuals (20 853 total observations) composed largely (1788 [78%] weighted) of middle-aged adults (25-64 years of age) and women (1538 [60%]); 640 respondents (23%) self-reported as Hispanic or Latinx, 314 respondents (20%) as non-Hispanic Black, and 1071 respondents (48%) as non-Hispanic White race and ethnicity. Relative to no state-level eviction moratorium protections, strong protections were associated with a 12.6% relative reduction (risk ratio, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.76-0.99) in the probability of mental distress, whereas weak protections were not associated with a statistically significant reduction (risk ratio, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.86-1.06).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This analysis of the Understanding Coronavirus in America Survey data found that strong eviction moratoriums were associated with protection against mental distress, suggesting that distress begins early in the eviction process with notice and filing. This finding is consistent with the idea that to reduce mental distress among renters, policy makers should focus on primary prevention of evictions.
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Details
- Title
- Variation in State-Level Eviction Moratorium Protections and Mental Health Among US Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Creators
- Kathryn M. Leifheit - University of California, Los AngelesCraig E. Pollack - Johns Hopkins UniversityJulia Raifman - Boston UniversityGabriel L. Schwartz - University of California, San FranciscoRobert D. Koehler - New York Law SchoolJackie V. Rodriguez Bronico - Cambridge Health AllianceEmily A. Benfer - Wake Forest UniversityFrederick J. Zimmerman - University of California, Los AngelesSabriya L. Linton - Johns Hopkins University
- Publication Details
- JAMA network open, v 4(12), pp e2139585-e2139585
- Publisher
- Amer Medical Assoc
- Number of pages
- 12
- Grant note
- T32HS000046 / Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; United States Department of Health & Human Services; Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Urban Health Collaborative; Health Management and Policy
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000731118400003
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85122005102
- Other Identifier
- 991021871449304721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health