Associate Directors Danielle Mulligan and Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba Co-Authored Op-Ed on the Youth Mental Health Crisis

Associate Director Danielle Mulligan and Professor Stephanie Ettinger De Cuba co-authored an op-ed, “Diagnosing the youth mental health crisis? Don’t forget housing and extreme heat,” in CommonWealth Beacon.

The Boston Public Health Commission published a report detailing the extensive crisis of sadness and anxiety among young adults; from 2015 to 2021, the percentage of youth in Boston going through persistent sadness increased from 26.7 percent to 43.9 percent.

Mulligan and Cuba conducted a thorough analysis of the intricate connections between housing, heat, and mental health. Their findings reveal that “Stable and affordable housing is vitally important to supporting mental health throughout life,” and unstable housing is a significant stress factor. They also cited research that indicates extreme heat is correlated with a surge in emergency department visits at hospitals for youth mental distress.

The authors highlight the Initiative on Cities’ new Urban-H Index research agenda, which aims to find new solutions to three key challenges threatening urban life: housing, Heat, and Health. Danielle Mulligan is the Initiative on Cities’ associate director, helping carry out initiatives such as the new Urban-H agenda. Stephanie Ettinger De Cuba is the Initiative on Cities’ Urban-H Index Associate Director of Health.