How does the neighborhood environment affect the mental health of suburban rural residents in China?

Background Environmental health research focuses primarily on the influence of the urban geographical environment on the mental health of urban residents, whereas few studies have considered the effect of the neighborhood on rural residents' mental health. In particular, suburban rural areas of large cities face serious challenges in terms of neighborhood environments and mental health in the context of rapid urbanization. Methods Data were collected in 2024 from 816 respondents living in 33 suburban villages of Zhengzhou China. This study used the structural equation model to explore the pathways of multi-dimensional neighborhood environments on the mental health of suburban rural residents. Results The results show that the social environment is closely related to the mental health of suburban rural residents, and that the objective social environment not only directly affects the mental health, but also affects the mental health through the subjective social environment. The built environment does not directly affect mental health but can indirectly affect mental health through the social environment. From the perspective of neighborhood effect, the mental health of suburban rural residents is more affected by subjective environment than objective environment, and social environment than built environment. Conclusions Considering the psychological needs of suburban rural residents to improve the neighborhood environment can improve their mental health and promote high-quality urban-rural integration.