“There are no two identical leaves in the world.” Everyone is a unique individual, and their mental health is affected by individual differences. In psychological research, there are a lot of studies on psychological variables that affect individual mental health, such as individual coping styles, personality characteristics, etc. At the same time, research has also proved that many psychological diseases have the role of genetic factors.

In addition to individual factors, people’s mental health will also be affected by the surrounding environment, lifestyle and other factors. The 2019 National Mental Health Survey analyses the six influencing factors of national mental health. Here is a brief introduction, hoping to broaden your horizons and improve your understanding of mental health.

01 Natural environment

People live on the earth without sunlight, air and other natural resources. The natural environment also has an important impact on people’s mental health. The study found that a good natural ecological environment has a positive effect on mental health, which can reduce the risk of stress, and the incidence of mental illness, depression, anxiety and other emotional disorders is relatively low. For example, the occurrence of depression is related to light and seasons. “Winter depression” is mainly caused by the lack of sunshine. Depression symptoms occur repeatedly in autumn and winter when there is little light, and the symptoms are relieved in spring and summer. Research from different countries around the world consistently shows that urban residents living in greener areas feel less pressure, higher levels of mental health, and a stronger sense of happiness.

02 Social environment

1. Social economy

The most obvious impact of the social economy on people’s mental health is that the incidence of depression has increased significantly during these periods during the economic recession or financial crisis. The economic recession has a direct, strong and lasting negative impact on employment, which affects people’s quality of life, increases pressure, causes more depression, and may even lead to higher suicide rates.

2. Cultural practises

Cultural practises shape people’s lifestyles, among which emotional expression and attitude towards psychological problems have a relatively direct impact on mental health.

3. Mass media

The psychological impact of mass media on the public is very huge. The way the media reports often affects the emotions of the public, and the views of reporters often affect the direction of public opinion. For example, the promotion of women’s slim figure in the media, especially in advertisements, makes women more likely to be dissatisfied with their figure, while women who are dissatisfied with their own figure is more likely to have low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, eating disorders and other problems.

03 Education level

Both domestic and foreign studies have found that the level of mental health is positively correlated with socio-economic status. Socio-economic status includes education level, income level and occupation, which represent different resources.

Having a high level of education often means being able to better understand and analyse information to solve problems, so it has a positive effect on mental health.

The survey and research found that the higher the education level of people, the higher the mental health level; the higher the education level of parents, the higher the mental health level of their children on average.

04 Working environment

The psychological benefits brought by work are also factors that affect mental health. The study found that work actually provides people with opportunities to gain self-esteem, effectiveness and self-integration. People’s efforts are expected to be rewarded. When they have made great efforts, but the reward is very little, such as the salary, promotion or psychological value they get, which is not satisfactory, it will become a great risk of mental health problems.

05 Family environment

Family is the cell of society and the starting point for everyone’s growth. The impact of family on people’s mental health is significant and far-reaching.

1. Family financial situation

Research shows that family economic problems, such as lack of property and low wages and income, are related to some common psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety.

2. Family structure

A complete and happy family plays a good role in maintaining people’s mental health. The incomplete family is often an important factor causing the mental health of family members.

3. Family relations

Marriage is one of the most important intimate relationships and the basis for forming a family. Studies at home and abroad show that the mental health of married groups is better than that of unmarried groups.

The quality of marriage not only affects the mental health of both husband and wife, but also affects the mental health of children. The poor quality of marriage between parents will have a negative impact on parenting behaviour, which will lead to more behavioural problems for children.

06 Healthy Lifestyle

Physical and psychological relationships are closely related. Physical or physical problems may cause psychological problems, affecting mental health; and psychological problems can also cause and contribute to certain physiological problems, diseases or physical reactions.

1. Sleep

Sleep is closely related to mental health. When people have emotional problems such as depression and anxiety, it often affects sleep, and lack of sleep or poor sleep quality will make people feel tired, lack of energy, and emotionally worse.

There is a lot of empirical evidence for the relationship between sleep problems and emotional problems. Too much or too little sleep is one of the important symptoms of depression, and sleep problems may be a precursor to depression.

2. Leisure sports

Leisure can not only eliminate physical fatigue, but also give people spiritual comfort and satisfaction. The study found that too little leisure time (average less than two hours a week) may lead to a low level of mental health.

Sports are not only closely related to physical health, but also affect mental health. Even a single exercise can significantly improve anxiety, depression, anger and other bad emotions, while regular adherence to physical exercise can effectively prevent and relieve anxiety, depression and other emotional problems.

3. Physiological diseases

A healthy lifestyle has a protective effect on physical and mental health. When the body suffers from diseases, especially some diseases that seriously threaten the safety of life and quality of life, mental health often faces further challenges.

Research shows that in people with chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, arthritis, ulcers, heart disease, and chronic pain, depression and anxiety problems are higher than the general population, and more likely to have more than two psychological problems at the same time.

Psychological problem is an extremely complex dynamic system problem, and the factors affecting mental health are also complex and diverse. It is the result of social factors, family factors and other factors interacting on the human body.