The impact of housing condition interventions on mental health: a systematic review

Housing conditions have been increasingly recognised as a critical determinant of health, with emerging evidence highlighting their impact on mental well-being. However, there is a lack of research syntheses to provide a comprehensive overview of the mental health benefits of interventions aimed at improving indoor home environments. This review synthesises studies examining the effects of housing quality improvements on mental health, identifying which interventions, if any, are associated with improved mental well-being and to what extent. A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, Web of Science and PsycINFO was conducted for interventional studies published between January 2013 and April 2023. Results were analysed using frequency and thematic analyses, and the effect sizes of each intervention’s impact on mental health were summarised. The risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool for non-randomised interventional studies. Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were categorised according to the type of intervention. Findings showed significant mental health benefits following improvements to lighting, heating, kitchen, bathrooms, windows, and water heaters, with mixed evidence of mental health benefits from door installation, insulation, ventilation, and fabric works. Most studies had a moderate to severe risk of bias. Further research should explore the generalisability of findings to broader populations, disentangle the health effects of individual interventions from confounders, and examine long-term mental health outcomes of housing condition interventions.